Black Chicago figure skater overcomes cancer in effort to compete again at nearly 60, inspire others

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A legendary Chicago figure skater is back to doing what he loves after surviving a brain tumor.

He's one of the few Black figure skaters in the world, and he's making a difference on and off the ice.

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Larry Holliday said being a Black figure skater never got in the way of him achieving his dreams. And now, not only is he cancer free, but, on the cusp of his 60th birthday, he's once again back in training to compete at nationals.

He's a six-time U.S. Adult Men's National Figure Skating champion and the first skater ever to successfully land a triple jump at a championship masters event.

"I didn't know what it meant. I didn't, but I do now," Holliday said.

As one of the few Black figure skaters out there, Holliday's impact in the sport grew with five national appearances and nearly 30 medals throughout his career.

"As a former skater myself, I'd heard stories of, you know, the famous Larry holiday popping off triple Lutz at adult nationals," a spokesperson for the Diversify Ice Foundation said. "There have not been a lot of skaters to reach the upper echelons that are, you know, one of these minorities."

But the road wasn't always easy for the Chicago native. At one point, Holliday's mom was working three jobs just to pay for his training. But it's helped get him to where he is today, and he's got more to give.

"I don't know of any, any skater at 60 to do a triple jump," Holliday said.

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That's the goal, but, for a moment, it seemed like it could be out of reach.

"I didn't think about, 'How am I going to compete?' I'm thinking, 'Am I gonna live?'" Holliday said.

Last June, Holliday was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor. After not responding well to chemotherapy, he came to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for a stem cell transplant. Now, the tumor is gone.

"It's more than just seeing a tumor disappear with treatment," said Dr. Karan Dixit, a Northwestern Medicine neuro-oncologist.

Holliday's neuro-oncologist said his work is about getting patients their dreams back.

He said, for most patients, the recovery period from a transplant takes a lot longer, but Holliday was different.

"He was already skating that soon after that; I think most people aren't resuming that level of activity that soon after transplant," Dixit said.

Now Holliday is back to inspiring future skaters by doing what he loves.

"I think the real champions are going to win," Holliday said. "You just go for it. Any dream is possible."

Holliday will be honored at the Diversify Ice Foundation's "skate-raiser" this weekend for all he's done to open the doors for skaters of color.

Visit diversifyice.org/events for more information.