Updated January 6th, 2021

Olympian & Testicular Cancer Survivor Scott Hamilton Is Seizing Every Moment: “I Choose to Make the Most of Each Day”

Details

Survivor Scott Hamilton's Mission

Hamilton, 62, tells the SurvivorNet family that he’s making the most of every moment by enjoying the people and moments that make life great.
The former Olympic figure skater has launched a new site as a call to “presentness”, to living in and savoring every second we get.
Hamilton, who survived testicular cancer and three benign brain tumors, has spent nearly two decades raising cancer awareness, creating a chemotherapy informational site and a book for children whose parents have been diagnosed.

Scott Hamilton is on a mission. The former Olympian and testicular cancer survivor tells SurvivorNet that he’s refusing to let any day go to waste and working to help others live more intentional, thoughtful lives.

“I choose to make the most of each day by enjoying the people and moments that I've been given and I encourage everyone to remember that we don't control the number of days we have on Earth, we only control what we do with them,” Hamilton told SurvivorNet.

The Olympian is sharing his message of living every moment to the fullest through Live Your Days, which Hamilton describes as “a call to presentness, to putting the phone down and making every day count.” He also founded The Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation in 2014 which works to fund “advanced, innovative research while sparing the patient.”

Hamilton had previously talked with SurvivorNet about his battle against testicular cancer and later a series of benign brain tumors. He was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1997 and said that the uncertainty that came with the disease was the worst part.

"With chemo, I didn't know how sick I was going to be. I asked my doctor and he said, 'Moderate to severe.' And I go, 'What does moderate to severe mean?' He took a second and said, 'Moderate to severe,’" Hamilton said, laughing. "So, you're flying blind. It's that step in the dark that's really frightening. So in my survivorship, I just decided to solve [those] problems."

Helping Others

In addition to the organizations he’s involved in above, earlier this year, Hamilton published Fritzy Finds a Hat, a book that aims to help young children understand what it means when a parent has cancer.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Scott Hamilton (@scotthamilton84)

The book was inspired by Scott’s mother Dorothy, who passed after battling breast cancer when Scott was a teen. Hamilton told SurvivorNet he was inspired by how his mother didn’t appear scared of the disease – and how that made them feel more at ease themselves.

"The whole idea behind Fritzy Finds a Hat is mom has got a problem and Fritzy's going to solve it. [My mother] informed us that she was going to need some help and some support around the house. And so, that empowered us to be a part of her journey."

Renewed Appreciation

Scott’s experiences with cancer have led him to a deeper appreciation of life and a willingness to make the most of every day.

"Every day that I'm going through this, I'm going to find a way to laugh, I'm going to find a way to enjoy myself," Hamilton says. "I'm going to find a way to love on my family and my friends. It's a journey."

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

SurvivorNetTV.
Hope. Science.
Inspiration.

WATCH NOW