A Profile of Hope—Sean's Story

Sean, the "Cancer Climber," was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1988.

My experience with Lymphoma

Sean Swarner, now 30 years, is the only cancer survivor to climb Mt. Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. Mt. Everest, at 29,035 feet, presents many life threatening challenges, including 100 mph winds, dramatic loss of oxygen, snowstorms, and deadly avalanches. For Sean, these dangers are not as great as the obstacles he overcame when battling cancer. He has been diagnosed with and treated for both Hodgkin's lymphoma and Askin's sarcoma, a rare cancer of the lung.

In 1988, at the age of 13, Sean was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma. His doctors did not expect him to live for more than three months. He overcame this illness, but was dealt another blow when doctors found a golf ball sized Askin's tumor in his lung. After removal of the tumor, Sean was expected to live for less than two weeks. He recalls the many ups and downs of going through treatment, "From the pain of losing my hair in the 8^th and 9^th grades, to the magical words of 'you're in remission'. I remember being 60 pounds overweight, no friends, sitting on the shower floor picking up chunks of my hair out of the drain. It was such a traumatic event." In addition to feeling that cancer was the worst thing that has happened to him, he also believes that it is the best thing that has happened to him. Sean says, “Having cancer made me realize so much about my life . . . that we shouldn't worry about dying, but we should worry about living a life that really matters. It has helped me see life through a different set of eyes and I feel blessed."

With partial use of his lungs, at the age of 22, the first real mountain that Sean climbed was El Volcan del Agua (water volcano) in Guatemala in 1997. After that, he didn't climb again until a year before climbing Mt. Everest. On the summit of Everest, he brought a flag with names of those affected by cancer and left it on top of the world to commemorate the struggle of cancer patients around the globe. On every other climb he feels that he is not alone. In his chest pocket he keeps a flag bearing the words, "Dedicated to all those affected by cancer in this small world! Keep climbing!" He hopes that his story will inspire others diagnosed with cancer to dream big and never give up. Sean believes, "The human body can accomplish anything the mind can dream, and climbing Everest remained my dream."

Sean tries to enjoy every minute of every day. He admits that there are times when he isn't feeling so hot, but those times pass. When he isn't feeling well, he tries to make light of the situation and have a good sense of humor. Reaching the peak of each mountain is always a very emotional time, he acknowledges, "I cry like a baby. Last time I called my mom and she couldn’t understand me, but she understood that I had reached the top. Every time I’m on the summit, I feel every other person who has been affected by cancer. I even say hello to those who didn’t win the battle."

Sean has set his sights on accomplishing the "Adventure Grand Slam." He will be the fifth person in history and the only cancer survivor to climb not only the peak of the tallest mountain on each of the seven continents, but also to trek both the North and South Poles. Sean is well on his way to accomplishing these feats. Since climbing Mt. Everest, he was able to climb both Kilimanjaro (Africa) and Elbrus (Europe) in less than 10 days! Sean has most recently reached the summit of Aconcagua in South America. His next adventure will take him to Mt. McKinley in Alaska.

How I became involved with Lymphoma Education

He is using his own personal experiences in facing adversity to raise awareness about cancer survivorship and to inspire other people affected by cancer through his public speaking engagements around the world. Sean and his brother started a non-profit organization, the CancerClimber Association. The organization was initially started to raise funds for cancer research, but now holds events to raise money to send kids with cancer to summer camps for free. They are planning to send a group to Africa to climb Kilimanjaro to support a summer camp in Colorado. Anyone interested in joining this group can contact Sean.

My life now

In addition to public speaking and physical training, he is looking for companies or organizations that will support his next climb as all of his future plans are contingent on support and funding. He stated, "It is always harder to climb the financial mountain than the physical mountain."

When asked if he had a message for others affected by cancer, Sean said, "I try to live my life by five words that all begin with the letter L. They are live, love, laugh, learn and lead by example. I think that if we all experience these five L's we’ll all live incredible, happy lives."

Live like there's no tomorrow and never give up the struggle to fight for your life. Love like you've never been hurt and don't be afraid to give your heart freely. Laugh and have a good sense of humor, laugh at yourself and don’t take life too seriously. Learn something new, improve yourself and never stop absorbing information like a sponge. Lead by example to show other people the type of person you want to be.

Sean is currently on a nationwide speaking tour promoting his book "Keep Climbing: How I Beat Cancer and Reached to Top of the World".  This and many other cancer and lymphoma related books are available to order through LRF’s online bookstore.  Please click here to visit LRF's bookstore.

If you would like to read Sean Swarner's journal from his most recent climb, track his future climbs, or schedule him as a speaker, please visit www.seanswarner.com.

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