NASHVILLE, Tenn. — His name? Among the legends in the sport. Scott Hamilton, 63, is a figure skating gold medalist and world champion-turned-longtime analyst.
As a young man, he thrilled on the ice with his impressive footwork and signature backflips. But to reach the pinnacle, he had to climb a mountain of pain and uncertainty to get there.
He has dealt with childhood illnesses and the death of his mother at age 18. Only when filled with grief did the Bowling Green, Ohio, native finally find the courage he needed.
"The morning I lost [my mom], I went for a walk," Hamilton recalled, "and in that walk, I decided that I needed to be the skater and the person that she always dreamed I could be."
Hamilton did just that when he captured gold at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
"I stood up on the podium and I was like, 'I made it,'" he remembered. "'There was a gauntlet and I made it through.'"
For years, he rode the wave of success, until he encountered another obstacle that would change his life forever.
First, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1997. Then, he endured three bouts with brain tumors. He was treated at the Cleveland Clinic.
"There's very few places like the Cleveland Clinic," Hamilton said. "How many times have they saved my life, you know, through all my hobby of collecting life-threatening illness? So it holds a special place, you know? It's a center of excellence."
There isn't a single day Hamilton takes for granted.
"I know that my body is extremely fragile, incredibly [and] equally resilient, but ultimately temporary," he told us. "I've just gotta keep my eye on what's really important, and, that's just doing everything I can to squeeze the best out of each day."
The gift of more time is now spent giving to others through his many charities, like the CARES Foundation and the Fourth Angel Mentoring Program through the Cleveland Clinic.
"Anytime somebody starts a cancer journey, they have three angels, right? They have their oncologist, they have their oncology nurse and their friends and family. What was missing is the fourth angel," Hamilton explained. "They understand it, they can speak their language, they can empathetically understand everything. They're feeling everything: their fears, their loss of identity, how to take control of the situation."
He's raised millions for charities, and this spring, he'll put his body to the test again. But not on skates; he'll do it on a bike, riding 440 miles in Erase the Trace for Glioblastoma research. Fittingly, his dear friend is battling the disease.
"Last year, when I rode in the last two miles with them ... I wanted to be with [Scott Williams] when he crossed the finish line," Hamilton said, through tears. "It was there that I decided and committed to doing it this year. I've never been so inspired. I cried every single day, just out of the bravery and the inspiration.
"We got to prevent the next 18-year-old boy from losing his mom, the husband from losing his wife, the next wife from losing her husband."
Decades removed from that Olympic podium, the best of Scott Hamilton is on display, the man his mother always knew he could be. He's ready for the next mountain that comes his way.
"As human beings ... we lead with compassion and kindness," he said, "and everything else sort of falls away."
To listen to Scott Hamilton's "Live Your Days" podcast, click here.
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