Skate-A-Thon In Memory Of Beloved Girl Who Fought Cancer

EAST HAMPTON, NY — The memory of a brave little girl who valiantly fought cancer lives on in the countless hearts that loved her.

And now, supporters will lace up their skates in memory of Sag Harbor's Katy Stewart, 12, who died of a rare form of liver cancer in 2011.

The eighth annual Katy's Courage Skate-A-Thon and Bake Sale will take place on Sunday, Feb. 10, beginning at 3 p.m. at the Buckskill Winter Club, located at 178 Buckskill Road in East Hampton.

All proceeds will benefit Katy’s Courage. Registration forms are available at www.buckskillwinterclub.com or by clicking here.

The day's schedule is as follows:

12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. – Learn to skate classes

1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. – Regular public skating

3 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. – Puck throw (Pre-registration available)

3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. – Figure skating recital by coaches and participating kids

4:45 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. – Skate-A-Thon

5:45 p.m. to 6 p.m. – Ice maintenance

6 p.m. – Raffle drawings and winner announcements

6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Hockey game (Pre-registration required)

Throughout the day, participants can stop by the annual bake sale for treats and choose to partake in a fundraising raffle. A rain date is set for Sunday, Feb. 17.

Katy’s Courage is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization honoring Katy, whose death left the community heartbroken when she passed away from a rare form of pediatric liver cancer. The organization is dedicated to supporting education, children’s bereavement support and pediatric cancer research.

For further information about Katy’s Courage, click here. Donations may be sent by check to P.O. Box 3251, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. For updates, like Katy’s Courage on Facebook and follow the organization on Instagram.

Katy's bright smile became familiar to East End residents after two Roar For A Cure benefits organized by The Max Cure Foundation raised funds and support for two families fighting fiercely to save their children from deadly cancers.

Katy, said Max Cure President David Plotkin, whose son Max survived his battle with lymphoma, "fought with courage and bravery, always wearing a smile." The Roar For A Cure carnivals, he added, lent support to Katy's parents, Jim and Brigid, so they "would be able to dedicate time and energy on getting Katy well," while providing some normalcy for their young son, Robert, during the times that Katy underwent treatment.

"As parents, and as a community, everyone rallied around Katy," Plotkin said. "Memorial Sloan-Kettering did everything they could to cure her. Unfortunately, the cancer was too strong."

Katy, a seventh grader, passed away in her sleep only days before the New Year.

"Early this morning as the sun was rising in pink hue over the harbor, our beautiful and beloved daughter and Robert's sister, Katy, became an angel in heaven," the Stewart family wrote in a message on CaringBridge.org when she died. "She was a special gift to the lives of those who knew her, a kind and thoughtful child who was a giving and generous soul," the message continued. "She was a magnificent blessing to our lives and words can't really express just how we much we loved her so."

Her heartbroken family also thanked the community for reaching out to them during their darkest hours: "You made our journey lighter, and touched Katy's heart in so many ways. Please say a prayer for her. She will be with us always."

Patch photo courtesy Katy's Courage.