Olympic gold medalist invites Tulsans to ice skate to raise money for cancer research

Dozens of folks laced up their skates to ice skate a frozen 5k for a good cause. It’s all in an effort to raise money for cancer.

Skating for Change

Seasoned ice skaters and first-timers made an impact on the ice at the Oilers Ice Center in Tulsa.

Olympic figure skater and cancer survivor Scott Hamilton's CARES Foundation invited local participants to raise funds for the OU Stephenson Cancer Research Center as well as his charity, which supports cancer research.

Attendees had the opportunity to skate a 5k, or 35 laps around the ice rink, to raise money for cancer research.

Scott Hamilton

The gold medalist knows the impact of cancer all too well. Hamilton says his mother was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma breast cancer and there was nothing that could be done for her. She passed away after fighting for 2 years. Around 20 years later, Hamilton was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer and went through four rounds of chemotherapy. He credits his survival to strides made in cancer research and the support of his loved ones. Since his mother's diagnosis, Hamilton developed a passion for cancer advocacy. The Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation was founded in 2014 and travels around the country dedicated to changing the future of cancer. 

A World Without Cancer 

Each lap skated at the frozen 5k puts money in the wallets of cancer patients. Hamilton says those funds are critical in the fight against the disease. He says the science is there, but the funds are not yet available, so his charity wants to close that gap. However, it needs the help of others.

 “I see a day in the very near future, where no one dies of cancer... they’re treated for it, but no one dies," Hamilton said.

For more information on the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation, click here.  Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation