NEWBURYPORT — When he was just 13, Sean Swarner was given three months to live after being diagnosed with advanced stage IV Hodgkin's lymphoma.
He went into remission at the age of 14 only to be stricken with a rare deadly cancer, Askin's sarcoma, two years later. After removing a golf-ball sized tumor on the side of his lung, doctors gave him just 14 days to live and read Swarner his last rites.
"All I thought of was what I went through the first time and how I didn't want to go through it again," Swarner said. "I only had two choices, though, one of which was fighting for my life — and guess what I chose?"
More than 20 years later, the 35-year-old cancer survivor has gone on to climb Mount Everest as well as the tallest peak on each continent, completed the Ironman Championship, and wrote a book. When he's not breaking records, he visits schools and hospitals to share his inspirational story.
Swarner spent yesterday afternoon telling his story to students at Newburyport High School and visited fellow climbers at Metro Rock as a guest of Alliance Oncology at the Newburyport Cancer Center, which invited Swarner to town as part of its grand opening yesterday.
Officials with the Newburyport Medical Center felt Swarner had a message that could resonate with young people, whether or not they had ever been touched by cancer.
At an age where most teenagers are stressed about finding dates to school dances, Swarner was being told to write a will, and driving 90 minutes to chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
"I was 13 going on 40," Swarner told students. "It was then that I understood the true meaning of life, and that I need to try to squeeze as much out of life as possible."
Swarner realized that he wanted to do something monumental to inspire other cancer patients. And what better way than climb the tallest mountain in the world?
"The people going through treatment are the real climbers in life," Swarner said. "If they can fight for their lives, I can put up with some wind."
Students listened as Swarner spoke of his journey up and down the 30,000-foot mountain, which he documented in his book "Keep Climbing." He showed photographs and spoke about living in temperatures of minus-60 degrees for days on end, facing snowstorms with up to 120 mph winds with only one fully functioning lung, seeing a friend fatally tumble down the mountain, and what kept him going, despite all the times he thought about turning back.
"I had gone so high that I could see the curvature of the horizon," Swarner said. "On my right was a sunset with the most beautiful pinks, reds, blues and purples, and the stars were at eye level on my left. I realized: I'm actually going to make it to the top of the world."
On May 16, 2002, at the age of 27, Swarner became the first cancer survivor to reach Mount Everest's summit.
"Every single person that's ever been touched by cancer was there with me when I reached the summit," Swarner said.
He has since gone on to climb the "Seven Summits," the highest mountain on each continent, including Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro, which he now climbs every summer as a fundraiser for the CancerClimber Association, which he and his brother Seth founded in 2001.
After having completed the 2008 Ford Ironman World Championship in October, Swarner has his sights set on climbing in New Zealand and Indonesia, as well as trekking to the North and South poles.
Along his journeys, Swarner visits hospitals, schools and other organizations to give hope to others affected by the disease.
"We should not worry about dying — it's going to happen; we should worry about living life to the fullest," Swarner told students. "The only person holding you back is yourself."
Whether it's asking someone on a date, or breaking world records, Swarner told students that everyone has mountains they have to climb in life, and that true motivation has to come from within.
"He has such an inspirational story," senior Jack Barry said. "I've learned that you shouldn't hold back — if you want something bad enough, you can get it."
You can find out more about Sean Swarner at: www.seanswarner.com and www.cancerclimber.org
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