Scott Hamilton has received support from wife Tracie Hamilton as he battled brain cancer numerous times.
Before the couple started dating, Scott made a name for himself in the sports world after winning a gold medal at the 1984 Olympics. The figure skater was known for his signature backflip on the ice, which was against U.S. Figure Skating and Olympic competition rules at the time.
Scott was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 1990 as he transitioned out of skating. He went on to become a commentator for CBS in 1995 and was the host of the FOX series Skating With Celebrities. Scott still serves on the board of directors for Special Olympics International as well.
Tracie, meanwhile, is a nutritionist who got engaged to Scott in 2001. They got married one year later and expanded their family with three sons and one daughter.
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Over the years, Tracie has remained by Scott’s side as he battled with brain cancer three times. (Scott was previously diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1997.)
Scott subsequently founded Scott Hamilton CARES in 2014 to focus on funding cancer research.
“I never would’ve thought to dream that one day I would found a cancer organization that’s actually going to have impact and save lives,” he told People in February 2024. “I never would’ve thought to dream that an Olympic gold medal experience would’ve allowed me to give so much back to my sport and help create a platform to give careers to so many of the greatest skaters in the history of the sport. And to have my children and just how amazing they are, and my wife and how amazing she is? I never would’ve thought to dream any of it.”
Keep scrolling to relive Scott and Tracie’s romance:
2001
After several years of dating, Scott and Tracie got engaged. The milestone moment came four years after Scott was diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent chemotherapy and surgery.
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2002
The pair tied the knot in Malibu at the Stone Manor Estate one year after their engagement. Following their nuptials, Scott and Tracie expanded their family with sons Aidan and Maxx.
2004
Scott was diagnosed with a brain tumor for the first time in 2004. The health scare returned six years later for a second time.
2010
Amid Scott’s second battle with brain cancer, the duo adopted son Jean Paul and daughter Evelyne while helping provide aid to people affected by an earthquake in Haiti.
“We fell in love with these kids two years ago and it took us that long to bring them home,” Scott recalled during an interview on Today in November 2014.
Tracie opened up about their family dynamic, adding, “It’s been really fun having a girl, and she’s so joyful. It has been beautiful, it has been challenging, it has been amazing, it has been hard. It has been such a blessing and it’s been everything we expected it would be.”
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2015
Scott said that becoming a dad of four was the most rewarding part of his life, telling The Tennessean, “God orchestrated everything in such an amazing way. Looking back you have to smile that all we had to do is follow along and be obedient.”
Later that year, Scott shared some of the hobbies his and Tracie’s kids were involved in.
“Jean Paul is a crazy, phenomenal soccer player and Aidan has gotten the bug from him, and now is on the school team,” he told People at the time. “Maxx is into skating — but he wants to play tackle football. We’re kind of like, ‘Well, you’re 7. You can wait.’”
2016
After two surgeries, Scott’s cancer returned for a third time in 2016.
2024
After his third diagnosis, Scott said past attempts at treatment made him reconsider trying again. He recalled going through nine different surgeries after an artery in his brain was nicked.
“All I felt was just, don’t worry about this. Just go home and get strong,” he told People. “I was just answering my spirit.”
Scott explained that since his decision, his body’s response has been “remarkable,” adding, “I went back to the scan three months later and they said, it hasn’t grown. I go back three months later and they go, it shrank 45%. I said to my surgeon, ‘Can you explain this?’ And he said, ‘God.’ I went back in, and it shrunk 25% again.”
However, the tumor ended up growing again the next time he went in for a scan.
“Then COVID hit and going into any kind of hospital situation was almost impossible. So in my spirit, in my inner being, I realized, I’m totally at peace with not even looking at it again unless I become symptomatic,” he continued. “The ace I have up my sleeve is that now there is a targeted radiation therapy that will shrink the tumor.”
Scott concluded: “And in that, I can avoid a lot of other things like surgery and chemo. So I don’t know, I’m mostly trying to be in the moment and taking all the information and do the right thing when the time comes.”
