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Finn will be guest speaker of Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer

Adirondack Health education director will speak at Feb. 22 fundraiser

Kristin Finn (Provided photo)

SARANAC LAKE — The 2025 Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer fundraiser will feature Adirondack Health Education Director Kristin Finn, RN as the guest speaker. Finn will share how one of the event’s beneficiaries — the Merrill Oncology Center Travel Fund — helped her through her cancer treatment journey.

The Sk8 to Elimin8 fundraiser will be held on Saturday, Feb. 22 from 4 to 6 p.m. on the James C. Sheffield Olympic Oval in Lake Placid.

Finn has been a registered nurse and educator with Adirondack Health for more than 30 years. She is also a two-time breast cancer survivor.

Finn was first diagnosed in 2004. She had no family history, but at 40 years old, she sought a mammogram right away after she felt lumps during a self-exam.

“It’s important to get your regular screenings and if you feel something during a self-exam at home, don’t ignore it. Say something. It could save your life,” Finn said.

Having been a nurse at Adirondack Health for many years at that point, Finn said she knew all the staff who worked in the oncology department, which made it a little less frightening when she began her treatment. She received a lumpectomy, radiation, and chemotherapy, and after five years of oncology mediation, she was officially cancer-free. During a routine mammogram in 2019, microcalcifications were detected and a biopsy determined that Finn had developed a new cancer. At this time, genetic testing was available at Adirondack Health, and it was determined that chemotherapy would not be beneficial for this tumor, so Finn opted for a mastectomy and reconstruction at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany.

However, after three years and eight surgeries with her surgeon in Albany, there were complications with reconstruction, and she was referred to a surgeon in New York City. As she began her trips to the city for bilateral flap surgery, Finn was able to utilize Adirondack Health’s Merrill Oncology Center Travel Fund. This fund helps qualifying Adirondack Health patients with expenses incurred during any oncology care requiring travel. It helps cover things like gas, food and lodging.

Finn’s surgery involved an eight-day hotel stay in New York, as the hospital conducting her surgery didn’t have any type of oncology patient housing.

“It was a really simple process to apply for the fund and Social Worker Kristina Hybicki was just wonderful with the guidance that she offered,” Finn said. “Knowing the reimbursement would be available was one less thing to worry about. As it turned out, the funds covered my train expenses to the city and the hotel for the eight nights, and most of my meals. Without the fund, all of these expenses would have been put on my credit card and I’d still be paying it off. Not having to worry about the money aspect of my care was a huge relief as I was healing.”

Finn recently completed her reconstruction surgeries on Dec. 23, after four years and 12 surgeries. Longtime Adirondack Health oncologist Dr. David Mastrianni oversaw both rounds of Finn’s care.

“I can’t minimize how much the oncology center at Adirondack Medical Center and the travel fund have impacted my cancer journey,” Finn said. “Besides knowing the team there and receiving their support as colleagues and a patient, they are all just phenomenal.”

Finn said being an RN on the other side of patient care made it easier to navigate her own because she knew who and where to go to with any questions she had. She added that Adirondack Medical Center offering oncology services to this area is invaluable, because when a person is working through the stress of a cancer diagnosis, being able to seek treatment close to home with a support person makes a huge difference. She said seeing the same caring staff on a regular basis means you’re developing important relationships with your caregivers, which ultimately facilitates more personalized care.

“My philosophy from the beginning with cancer has been, you either stand up and fight or you lay down and die. And I was not going to lay down and die,” Finn said. “I took care of things before they happened or as they happened and just kept pushing forward.”

The Merrill Oncology Center Travel Fund was established in 2020. Over the past five years, more than $41,000 has been raised and helped 27 patients with their travel expenses for oncology care. The current balance of the fund is roughly $19,000 and it will once again benefit from the Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer event. The event also benefits the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation for cancer research. Hamilton developed his cancer research foundation and the Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer fundraisers after surviving his own battle with cancer.

This year’s event is even more special as it falls on the 45th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid, where the 1980 U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey team defeated the Soviet Union for the gold medal. Hamilton was the U.S. flag bearer for the opening ceremonies of the 1980 Olympics and plans to be on the ice for the Lake Placid Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer event.

Finn also took part in the Miracle on Ice when she was in high school as a volunteer usher at the Olympic Arena.

“I saw a lot of good hockey, figure skating, and historical moments,” she said. “During the Miracle on Ice game, I was an usher just behind the goal net. It was amazing being there. It was so electric. Leaving the arena afterwards and out into the streets, it was a huge celebration.”

As she prepares to be the guest speaker, Finn said she’s honored and humbled.

“Everyone’s cancer journey is different, so my path is not going to necessarily be someone else’s path,” she said. “What’s important is just that you find your path and stay on it.”

To learn more about Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer, register a team or donate, visit tinyurl.com/5n6khrr8. Please note that anyone who would like to create a team and fundraise may do so without having to skate during the Saturday, Feb. 22 event.

Starting at $4.75/week.

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