The Man Who Died Twice, Then Climbed Everest | Sean Swarner
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Kylläpä tää kirjanpito stressaa. Hei, ota nyt vaan kevyemmin. No helppohan se on sanoa. Niin on. Iisi Kevyt Yrittäjänä vältyt kirjanpidolta ja saat palvelupaketin vakuutuksineen ja sopimuspohjineen käyttöösi. Olo on kuin höyhenellä. Iisi Kevyt Yrittäjät on Suomen ensimmäinen kevyt yrittäjäpalvelu. Siksi osaamme palvella parhaiten. iisi.fi kautta kevyt yrittäjät. Hyvää työtä kevyemmin.
There were years of my life where I was terrified to close my eyes at night because I didn't know if I was going to wake up the next day. That was because of two terminal cancers. I was given three months to live the first one, 14 days to live the second one. I read my last rites. The man of the cloth came in, rosary in one hand, Bible in the other one, standing at the end of the bed, started reading me my last rites as a 16, 17-year-old. I developed a completely different perspective. on success, on happiness, on fulfillment than anyone else. That's changed my entire perspective on what I've been able to accomplish.
No, man, I appreciate you taking the time to come on the show. You have an incredible story. And I don't normally like to start with origin stories, but I think yours is so incredibly unique and powerful that it would be remiss if we didn't start there. So as much as you're willing or able, I'd love for you to kind of level set your methodology. And I want to get to some of the stuff that you're doing today, but I think if we don't understand your origin story, it'll make a lot more sense.
And that does make total sense because if you look at where most adults are right now, they never had to go through what I went through and learn what I have learned about life. So let's go back to when you were in high school, right? The biggest concerns you had were probably... What, like nice clothes, nice hairstyles, being in the popular crowds, not getting picked on, making it from class to class on time? Whatever that might be. For me, 13 to 18 years old, there were years of my life where I was literally terrified to close my eyes at night because I didn't know if I was going to wake up the next day.
What challenges did Sean Swarner face with his health?
And that was because of two terminal cancers. I was given three months to live the first one, 14 days to live the second one. I was read my last rites. I mean, a man of the cloth came in, rosary in one hand, Bible in the other one, standing at the end of the bed, started reading me my last rites as a 16, 17-year-old. So I developed a completely different perspective. on success, on happiness, on fulfillment than anyone else that I think I know. And I think that's changed my entire perspective on what I've been able to accomplish. So 13 years old, advanced stage four Hodgkin's lymphoma. Doctors gave me three months to live. 60, 70 pounds, heavy. I remember looking at myself in the bathroom mirror, not even being able to recognize who was looking back at me.
You know, I was losing my hair because of the chemo. And I remember going into the bathroom, just like it was yesterday, man. It was intense. I remember being on my hands and knees on the shower floor. My hair was falling out in chunks. Clogging the drain, the water was rising up. And I was on my hands and knees just sobbing. And I was trying to figure out how I was going to move forward in life. You know, when you're 13 years old, you should be worried about your future and not your funeral.
Yeah.
You're supposed to be worried about going out on dates and your hormones kicking in and growing hair in unusual places on your body. But I was losing it, and I remember projecting three months into the future, and I still have this image burned in my mind.
How did Sean's perspective on life change after his cancer diagnoses?
It always gives me motivation when I think about it. It makes me emotional, too. I projected three months into the future and I saw my mom, my dad, and my younger brother at the dining table for dinner. And I remember my mom was setting the table getting ready for dinner and there was one empty seat. And I didn't want to be the empty seat at my family's dining room table.
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