She is the legendary figure skater that I have adored since I was a child. And I freely admit that like millions of other little girls I too made my hairdresser give me her trademark wedge haircut after she won the gold medal at the 1976 Olympics. Which is why it is with great sadness that I learned Dorothy Hamill is battling breast cancer–the same insidious disease that has ravaged the lives of millions of families around the world, including my own.
The 51-year-old former Olympian issued a statement yesterday and revealed that her prognosis is “favorable,” though she said she would have to miss some of the “Broadway on Ice” tour she was scheduled to participate in while she undergoes treatment at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.
In her absence tour operators announced that Olympic gold medalist Brian Boitano, one of Hamill’s good friends, will fill in for her, beginning tonight in Sarasota, Florida. Hamill said she hopes to rejoin the tour for its January 16th stop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
In the meantime the woman who was dubbed “America’s Sweetheart” in 1976 and voted the “Most Trusted Sports Figure in America” by Ladies Home Journal says she will turn to her skating buddies for support. After all, Hamill isn’t the first Olympic champion to be diagnosed with cancer. Fellow figure skater Peggy Fleming, the 1968 Olympic gold medalist, also battled breast cancer. She was diagnosed in 1998, but was able to beat the disease and is now cancer free. Fleming is now an outspoken advocate for breast cancer research and awareness. In addition, Scott Hamilton, the 1984 men’s figure skating champ, was treated for testicular cancer in 1997.
POPPY MONTGOMERY POPS OUT A BABY BOY
Yet another celebrity with a holiday birth story…
It appears “Without a Trace” actress Poppy Montgomery and her boyfriend, actor Adam Kaufman, also celebrated Christmas with a new addition in 2007. According to Montgomery’s rep, the actress welcomed a son on December 23rd.
Jackson Phillip Kaufman was born in Los Angeles and weighed 7 lbs., 4 oz. He is the couple’s first child.
Thirty-five-year-old Montgomery plays FBI Agent Samantha Spade on the CBS drama, while Kaufman has appeared on “Law & Order” and “Dawson’s Creek.” The pair met more than three years ago on a movie set in Mexico.
Related Articles:
Is Your Diet Putting You At Risk For Breast Cancer?
The Thief Who Stole My Mother: Breast Cancer Strikes
Cancer Prevention—Five Foods You Want To Put In Your Shopping Cart