Cancer Survivor Sean Swarner Climbs Highest Mountains

WASHINGTON - Sean Swarner has climbed to see the world's most spectacular views. What he sees in a room at Georgetown University Hospital are kids just like him.

As a kid, Swarner was diagnosed with cancer - twice.

At one point, doctors gave him two weeks to live.

"The chances of me surviving both these cancers is equivalent to me winning the lottery four times in a row with the same numbers," Swarner told the pediatric patients at Georgetown.

Swarner didn't just survive. He's soared.

Swarner became the first cancer survivor to summit Everest, the world's highest mountain.

In his chest pocket, near his heart, he carried a flag with the names of cancer survivors. He planted that flag on the top of Everest. He says he wanted to scream hope from the highest mountain in the world. He did.

"If you can imagine taking every feeling you've ever had, every emotion and put it in the little ball and explode it all at once. That's what it felt like. The tears started flowing down like waterworks," said Swarner.

With his one functioning lung, Swarner went on to summit the highest mountains on each of the seven continents.

Six-year-old Ryan Darby of Bethesda was in the audience today at Georgetown. Ryan is climbing a mountain of his own right now.

"Since he survived cancer two times I feel, I think I can survive it. I think I can do it," Ryan told FOX 5.

Molly Darby is Ryan's mom. "He has to have hope. If you don't have hope, you don't have anything."

Ryan says after hearing Sean speak, he'd like to climb Mount Everest, but he says he'd have to ask him mom first, but anything seems possible.
 

LINKS:

https://www.mattiemiracle.com/

http://www.seanswarner.com/

http://lombardi.georgetown.edu/pediatric/

http://cancerclimber.org/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTGi1MhxtEM