LAKE PLACID — The annual Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer event in Lake Placid was held Feb. 21 on the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval.
The 2026 event raised $26,152 to benefit the Merrill Oncology Travel Fund at Adirondack Health, which helps patients and families manage the financial burden of traveling for lifesaving oncology care, as well as the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation, which supports cancer research nationwide.
The event’s main guest speaker was cancer survivor Michael DeYear, who received treatment at Adirondack Health and was able to utilize the Merrill Oncology Center Travel Fund. While DeYear’s oncology treatment began at Adirondack Medical Center in Saranac Lake, his care extended to radiation treatments in Plattsburgh then advanced care at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. The Merrill Oncology Center Travel Fund helped ensure DeYear and his wife, Janet, could focus on his care rather than financing travel expenses.
“Adirondack Health never hesitated to find the right team for me,” DeYear said. “When I needed something beyond what was available locally, they made sure I got there. That meant everything to us. Through it all, the oncology team at Adirondack Health was our constant.”
DeYear has been cancer free since 2019.
“I’m grateful because support like the Merrill Oncology Center Travel Fund gives people access to the care they need,” DeYear said.
Other speakers included Olympic Medalist Paul Wylie, the Olympic Regional Development Authority’s Stuart Hemsley and Chadd Cassidy, Adirondack Health Chief Operating Officer Dan Hill and Adirondack Health’s Merrill Oncology Center Social Worker Kristina Hybicki.
To learn more about Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer Lake Placid or to donate, visit fundraise.scottcares.org/lakeplacid.