Updated December 27th, 2021

Climber Sean Swarner Beat Cancer Twice Before Age 20, Climbed Mount Everest, & Now Helps Cancer Survivors Realize Their Own Strength

Climber Sean Swarner faced two separate cancer battles by the time he was 16, and was told he only had a few weeks to live. He fought, and won. Now, he's encouraging other cancer survivors to reach to new heights. He shares his story with SurvivorNet.

Shelby Black

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Reaching New Heights

Climber Sean Swarner beat two separate cancers before his 20th birthday, and launched his organization Cancer Climber which takes survivors to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Organizers of Cancer Climber pay all expenses for cancer survivors to take the trip, and simply ask they pay it forward to fund cancer research.
Swarner talks to SurvivorNet about his new perspective gained through battling cancer, the mission behind Cancer Climber, and the journey of self-exploration.

Climber Sean Swarner, 46, wants those with cancer to reach new heights (literally), and as a cancer survivor himself, he knows it's possible. Once beating cancer, he climbed to the top of countless peaks and now wants to prove to those who have battled cancer that anything is possible.

“I didn't choose to go crawl up in a corner and die and think, 'okay, well, that's it, I'm done, game over.'” Sean Swarner

An Incredible Cancer Journey

“I didn’t choose to go crawl up in a corner and die and think, ‘okay, well, that’s it, I’m done, game over,” Swarner tells SurvivorNet about his cancer battles. Swarner was first diagnosed with cancer at just 13-years-old, and was diagnosed with a separate second cancer at 16. His oncologists declared his condition as terminal, and was told he would only have two weeks to live. However, he battled the odds and came out on top. “Nobody knows how much time you have left on the planet. So what I wanted to do was make the most of it. If the prognosis is going to be alive for 14 days, I wanted to truly love and live life. I still do,” Swarner continues.

Swarner truly beat what everyone believed was impossible, and now the he’s helping other survivors realize that all of us are only limited by our own fears. He says his entire mindset has changed since facing cancer at such a young age, and it made him appreciate the little things so much more.

“I was thinking of where my life was and what my friends were doing while they were getting ready for school that same day,” Swarner says. “It kind of hit me. I saw things a little bit differently because they were worried about being in the popular crowds; they were worried about the cliques; they were worried about shoes and hairstyles; I was worried about living.”

Climbing to the Top

Through his program Cancer Climber, which was founded in 2001, Swarner takes cancer survivors and advocates to hike up Mount Kilimanjaro and other world-wide peaks in order to raise money for cancer research. They foot the bill for cancer survivors’ flight costs and in return, ask them to pay it forward to help others battling the disease. Ultimately, the main goal is for those with cancer to realize that they are stronger than they may believe.

“I don’t want to say, ‘I want people to think that having cancer is a good thing,’ but it’s not a bad thing” Sean Swarner

“I don’t want to say, ‘I want people to think that having cancer is a good thing,’ but it’s not a bad thing,” Swarner says. “People are limiting themselves by believing in that.”

Apart from the hike itself, this experience aims to be a soul-searching expedition as well. One of the largest stigmas facing those battling cancer, or who have faced cancer, is that they be considered weak. Not only can receiving a diagnosis be an emotionally debilitating experience, but treatment can significantly impact the body. However, through Cancer Climber, Swarner and his team are determined to eliminate those negative thoughts.

Sean Swarner pulls used tires up a street as part of training for upcoming trip to the North Pole

Sharing Encouragement

One of Swarner’s main goals is to hike up all seven summits across the world, and one of his journey has been featured in documentary True North which follows him and his team trekking up the North Pole in -40 degree weather. As a result of these hikes, and his work through Cancer Climber, Swarner says watching others achieve their goals is even more impactful.

“I get more out of empowering others to climb forever, because everybody has goals,” Swarner says. “Everybody has issues and it could be just walking around the block and that’s perfectly fine. If somebody wants to climb upwards, that’s great too. But I get more out of empowering someone. I get more out of helping someone than I do of getting it myself.”

“You might not understand completely what’s going on right now, and that’s perfectly fine. Just trust the process.” Sean Swarner

Swarner knows first-hand how a little support can go a long way when it comes to helping someone who has faced, or is currently facing, cancer. Through his work with Cancer Climber, Swarner has made life-long connections with his fellow hikers, which he plans to continue for many more years.

“I’ve actually had people who did the trip I’m still in touch with from 10, 15 years ago and they tell me that it’s changed their lives,” Swarner says. “It really does change lives because it’s this self-empowering tool and I’ve utilized the Kilimanjaro trip in the program where in one of the first emails that people receive, I tell them, look, you might not understand completely what’s going on right now. And that’s perfectly fine. Just trust the process. I know how to get to the top. I know what works.”