Sean Swarner


Sean Swarner was voted one of the top 8 most inspirational people in history and was the recipient of the Don't Ever Give Up Award presented by the Jimmy V Foundation and ESPN. Sean is the only person in history to climb Everest, the highest mountain on every continent, ski to both Poles and complete the Hawaii Ironman triathlon. He only has one lung. Sean is a two-time cancer survivor who was first diagnosed at age 13 with Hodgkin's Disease and later with Askin's sarcoma. He was given just 14 days to live and is the only person in the world to ever have been diagnosed with both these deadly cancers. Sean told ESPN Radio's Bob Valvano, brother of Jimmy, that he would have been more likely to win the lottery four or five times with the same numbers than to have survived both these terminal cancers.
However, he did survive, although he has only one fully functioning lung due to the removal of a golf ball-sized tumor found with the Askin's diagnoses. He graduated from Willard High School in Willard, Ohio, in 1993, and Westminster College in 1997.
Sean was featured on ESPN with a 10-minute segment on his life story and struggle. Amazon recently posted a film about his recent expedition to the north pole. He established his own foundation which promotes cancer awareness and completely funds a survivor's trip to Africa. He also authored his book Keep Climbing, which recounts his story and journey from the depths of his near death experience to the peaks he climbed to reach the top of the world 17 years later. Other books include his 7 Summits to Success series, empowering others to their best.
Sean also completed the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, HI with a final time of 11:44:15, making him the only person in history to accomplish what he has
On April 11, 2017, Sean completed a trek to the North Pole.
On May 16, 2002, Sean summited Mount Everest.