PRINT
Magic Johnson, Fran Drescher, Scott Hamilton - After the Diagnosis
The Oprah Winfrey Show  |  March 17, 2009
Figure skater Scott Hamilton was diagnosed with cancer.


Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton spent years dazzling audiences with his figure skating before being sidelined by cancer.

In 1997, Scott says he was touring with Stars on Ice when he went to see a doctor. He wasn't feeling well, and after a battery of tests, he discovered why. "The doctor came back into the examination room, and he said: 'We seem to have found a mass. It's either benign, malignant or something else, but if it were me, I'd take care of this right away.' It was at that moment that I realized that I was just diagnosed with cancer."

When Scott learned he had testicular cancer, he says an overwhelming sense of fear came over him. "You're thinking about suffering," he says. "You're thinking about debilitation. You're thinking about the treatment."

After coming to grips with his disease, Scott says the fear was replaced with a sense of power, determination and strength.
Printed from Oprah.com on Friday, May 24, 2013
© 2013 OWN, LLC. All Rights Reserved