Most people have not escaped death twice before the age of 17. Most people don't climb to the edges of the earth — scaling the highest peaks.
Most people are not two-time cancer survivor, Sean Swarner. She is headed to the North Pole to raise money for various cancer institutions on April 1, 2017.
Sean has been quoted as saying, "You can go 30 days without food, you can live three days without water, but can't go 30 seconds without hope, because without hope, we truly have nothing".
Sean has always had hope.
Sean has always wanted to live another day.
His childhood began the ordinary way – running, playing sports, hanging with friends, typical kid activities. Until one day, while shooting hoops, his knees buckled, he collapsed, and his mom rushed him to the hospital.
"Do you know an oncologist?" the doctor asked, before revealing that 13-year-old Sean had Hodgkin's Lymphoma and less than three months to live.
Despite all odds, Sean made a full recovery. He was a normal kid again; he went back to all the things he use to do. If you didn't know, you would have never guessed he had ever been sick. That was until, at the age of 16, he was diagnosed with Askin's Sarcoma. This time, Sean was read his last rites and given 14 days to live. Once again, Sean proved the doctors wrong.
Not only did Sean survive, he grew determined that no challenge would ever be too great, no peak too high.
So he put his determination to the test in his quest to climb Mt. Everest with one functioning lung as the other had been lost to radiation treatment. Yes, Sean was going to become the first cancer survivor to summit Mt.Everest along with many others whose names of those touched by cancer gracing a flag he carried along with him.do so.
Sean stepped onto the ice, and he kept on moving. One step. Another step. One more. Until one day, Sean Swarner, the boy who was handed a death sentence twice, stood on top of the world.
On the world's highest point, Sean grabbed his flag, with the names of everyone touched by cancer, and dug it into the ice proving, once again, anything is possible when you have hope.
Europe, South America, Australia, Antarctica, and North America, thus completing the 7-Summits, in addition to conquering the South Pole and the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii.
On April 1, Sean Swarner will land on the ice of the Arctic with his flag in hand. He'll ski, one step at a time, until he reaches the North Pole, officially completing the Explorer's Grand Slam.
Not only does Sean wake up every, single day, he lives each one to the max. Many people are alive, but not all are living. Sean should have been dead many times over. His differentiator? Hope.
Join Sean Swarner on his journey to the North Pole. Add a name to his flag and follow his trek on facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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Please add my daughter's name to the flag. Brandy Brown Tidd. Diagnosed with Ewings at age 4. She was a cancer survivor. Diagnosed with congestive heart failure at age 17 as a result of one of the chemo drugs. Passed away at age 24 from organ failure. Awesome young lady. Miss her terribly. Would love for her spirit to be with you.