Two-Time Cancer Survivor Heads to South Pole

Two-time teen cancer survivor Sean Swarner has embarked on the journey of a lifetime - a trek to the South Pole where he's filming a new Grape-Nuts campaign and coming up on 25 years cancer free. Swarner departed the U.S. just before New Year's Eve and arrived Monday night, Jan. 12. The South Pole features harsh conditions with high winds - and Swarner trudged the final 60 miles on skis.

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Swarner is no newcomer to amazing feats. The only cancer patient known to have been diagnosed both with Hodgkin's lymphoma and Askin's sarcoma, he was the first cancer patient to summit Mt. Everest - the world's tallest peak - and to have conquered the Seven Summits, representing the highest peaks on each continent. Now, he's set his sights on a trek to the North and South Poles, proving the point that - with proper planning - we can all do incredible things despite the "mountains" in our paths.

2015 is a huge milestone year for motivational speaker Swarner in that it also marks the 25th anniversary of being cancer-free.

Diagnosed at 13 years old with Stage IV Hodgkin's lymphoma and at 16 with Askin's sarcoma, Sean twice was given just weeks to live. Twice, he not only survived - but thrived.

In addition to his historic climbs, he's completed the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon, founded a nonprofit, written a book and continues to constantly set new goals and break new records.

The 40-year-old super achiever doesn't let the prospect of death, disability or disappointments derail his dreams or his motivation. In fact, it only spurs him on. He's achieved each of his summits and the incredible Ironman challenge with just one lung and he's a highly rated motivational speaker who's been dubbed one of the 8 most inspirational persons of all time.

The trek to the South Pole is sponsored by Grape-Nuts, VolitionRx (a life sciences company focused on developing diagnostic tests for cancer and other conditions), Marmot and LEKI.

While at the Pole, Swarner will become the face of the newest Grape-Nuts campaign video to debut in February.

While there, Swarner also will connect with hospitals and classrooms across the country to celebrate the momentous occasion and deliver a heartfelt message of hope, optimism and a can-do attitude.

The footage filmed in Antarctica will be used across Grape-Nuts' social channels and in contest promotion.

"It's an honor to join the Post Grape-Nuts team on their journey to Antarctica," says Swarner, who returns to the U.S. this weekend.

I'm a firm believer in the inspiration at the core of the Grape-Nuts "What's Your Mountain" campaign and I hope our journey inspires others to conquer their mountains and meet their goals. In addition to Post, I'm especially grateful to the additional sponsors who have teamed up to support my challenge of trekking the South Pole. Together with VolitionRx, we've committed to raising awareness of cancer and beating the disease, which is best accomplished by early detection through screening."

Sean Swarner is a two-time cancer survivor, outdoor enthusiast and motivational speaker dubbed one of the most inspirational persons of all time. His personal mission is to inspire hope and motivate others to live life to the fullest.

Based in Breckenridge, CO, he founded cancerclimber.org in 2001; released Keep Climbing in 2007 and will soon be celebrating 25 years cancer free.

Attribution/Source(s): This quality-reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Milestones Communications and published on 2015/01/15, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.