Hannah Storm, the longtime ESPN host, lost her husband Dan Hicks, at the age of 64. Hicks himself has been a longtime NBC Sports announcer and reportedly passed away due to an acute illness.
The news of his demise on Thursday was shared by Storm.
“Our family is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected passing of Dan following an acute illness. He was a devoted husband of over 30 years, loving father to our three daughters, and cherished friend to so many. His loss is immeasurable. Dan was truly one of a kind and, quite simply, the person everyone wanted to be around. When he walked into a room, he brought the energy, the laughter and the people together. He was endlessly kind, thoughtful and funny, and he made everyone feel like they mattered,” a statement from Storm said.
Hannah Storm has had her share of health issues as well. She revealed less than two weeks back that she was recovering from a second cancer diagnosis. Storm was also born with a vascular birthmark, which eventually led her to launch the Hannah Storm Foundation. The organisation is aimed at raising awareness and funding treatment for “children suffering from debilitating and disfiguring Vascular Birthmarks.”
Hannah Storm’s birthmark
Storm was born with a vascular birthmark or a port wine stain. A CBS News report from 2004 noted that these can often indicate “serious medical problems like glaucoma, seizure disorders and calcium deposits in the brain.”
The ESPN host had remarked, “They called it a lot of different things. We heard hemangioma, we heard port wine.” Starting in third grade, Storm had a series of procedures which started with a surgical excision where doctors tried to cut the birthmark off her face. There was also an unnatural looking tattoo, and dermabrasion and laser surgeries, which ended up leaving painful third-degree burns, as per the report.
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Storm had noted, “I remember crying tears of frustration and anger that nothing had worked and also of doctors saying it would go away and it returned full force with scar tissue.” She also recalled being asked what happened to her many times when people saw her without makeup, noting how birthmarks can lead to self-esteem issues.
Storm’s birthmark is not usually seen during her public appearances, as it is presumably covered with makeup.
Storm reportedly suffered severe burns in a propane gas grill accident on December 11, 2012, at her home in Connecticut.
Hannah Storm cancer battle
Storm had earlier beat breast cancer in 2024. She had announced her battle in public on Good Morning America. At the time, Storm had explained that she was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS.
This is a type of stage 0 breast cancer where the cancer cells have not spread beyond the milk ducts of the breast, as per reports.
Earlier this month, Storm provided a health update, noting she’d need a “little more time to recover” at home.
“This year I will be cheering on my ESPN/ABC NYC Marathon family from my living room. I was hoping to be back in time for Sunday’s race, but my doctors have advised me to take a little more time to recover from surgery. Most importantly, I’m very grateful to be cancer-free after undergoing a hysterectomy,” she’d said earlier in November.
Storm and Hicks have three daughters together – Hannah, Ellery and Riley.