AOL News has a new home! The Huffington Post.

Click here to visit the new home of AOL News!

Hot on HuffPost:

See More Stories

Scott Hamilton Undergoes Brain Surgery for Benign Tumor

Jun 24, 2010 – 12:00 PM
Text Size
Ryan Wilson

Ryan Wilson %BloggerTitle%

American figure skater and Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton underwent brain surgery Wednesday to remove a recurrence of a benign brain tumor near his pituitary gland that first appeared six years ago.

"They're happy with the progress of the entry process, and now [doctors] can begin to get rid of the tumor," the figure skater's rep, Michelle Thornbury, told People.com of the surgery.

Hamilton, now 51, has battled cancer for more than a decade. In 1997, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and beat it before returning to the rink. And in 2004, he learned that he had a brain tumor, called craniopharyngioma, which if left untreated could have resulted in permanent blindness. Gamma radiation was thought to have removed all of the tumor, but it eventually reappeared.

After Wednesday's procedure, Thornbury told People.com that, "Scott is resting comfortably and expected to make a full recovery. He and his family are so thankful to the doctors and surgical team for taking such good care of him and grateful to everyone for their thoughts and prayers."

Hamilton is expected to remain in intensive care for several days before returning home next week.

follow us on twitter friend us on facebook
Filed under: Sports

ON FACEBOOK