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My
name is Sean Swarner and I was once given 2
weeks to live. The chances of me surviving were
worse than winning the lottery four times over
with the same exact numbers. Not only am I the
only person in the world to have ever had these two
certain types of cancer, I'm also the longest
living survivor of one of them. I truly consider
myself to be one of the luckiest people on the
face of the earth. I have knocked on death's
door twice, only to look him straight in the eye
and scoff.
When
I was 14 I was diagnosed in the 4th stage of
Hodgkin's Disease, one small step from death. I
was expected to live for about 3 months. A year
and a half after chemotherapy, I was put into
remission only to be stricken the second time
with a very aggressive, deadly tumor attacking
only 3 out of a million people. An Askin's
disease tumor was attached to my lung and had
grown to the size of a golf ball in less than 4
months. After removing it, I was expected to
live about 2 weeks. Approximately a year and a
half of being semi-conscious lying in a hospital
bed and after more chemotherapy and even
radiation therapy, I won my league track meet in
the 800-meter dash. I also continued to pole
vault, swim, run, play soccer and everything
else you can imagine. I believe I am truly a
living, walking, breathing miracle.
All-be-it,
this letter is not about my history, nor is it a
cry for pity, it is more of a dream I have had
since I was diagnosed with the first cancer.
When I was lying in the hospital bed playing my
Nintendo and bugging the nurses, I always
dreamed of helping others who were in my
situation by becoming an incredible
inspiration. My spectacular goal is to be
the first cancer survivor/patient to climb to
the top of our earth. If I could touch the
hearts of patients and spark their will to live,
imagine what that could do to the cancer
community around the world.
I
have the dream of climbing to the top of Mt.
Everest, keeping a log-book, and writing a book
dedicated to the cancer patients of the
world. Getting people involved for such an
incredible idea would be an unbelievable asset
to anyone in the hospital. If I could have
the chance to give people the glimpse of hope
they deserve by demonstrating my desire, drive
and personality, I can give them the hope that
they too will survive, just as I did.
I'm
speaking from my heart when I ask you if you can
help. I'm looking for any suggestions to start
my dream. Eventually I will be standing on the
top of the world grinning from ear to ear
knowing my dream has been accomplished. By doing
that, people will notice someone who has been in
their situation before and not give up hope, for
hope is something that cannot be given a dollar
amount. By helping to instill hope, dreams,
desire, and drive in those who are sick, I truly
believe I can put my talents to use for others.
In this day and age, it is hard to find people
who truly believe in helping others. One of the
purposes of this letter is to ask for some type
support. Be it financial, emotional, religious,
or simply a note of good luck, your help will be
more than appreciated. By sustaining this
idea, you are demonstrating something people
have drifted away from for such a long time.
Please
consider what supporting this cause could mean
to the entire cancer community as a whole. As I
have stated, it is my dream to get a glimpse of
Heaven and to help instill hope in those lying
in hospital beds. The same beds I laid in while
expected to die. The same beds I laid in when I
was receiving a bone marrow and recovering from
the removal of my tumor with cracked ribs,
drainage tube, and Hickman Catheter. The same
beds I laid in when I was trying to learn how to
breathe again while being pumped full of an
experimental chemotherapy treatment. The same
beds I laid in where I never gave up hope and
realized I was not going to give up and die. The
exact same beds where countless cancer patients
lay right now who need someone to be their
inspiration to not give up hope and not lay down
and die.
If
you decide to help me obtain my goal and to help
those with cancer, I can assure you that you
will be helping in ways you cannot even begin to
imagine. By helping to support me, you will be
giving the patients in hospital beds some
glimmer of hope and some dream of their future.
I
understand I have very high aspirations, and my
goal seems a bit incredible, but I tell you now,
I will reach them and I will NOT give up.
I also know this idea will have an impact
greater than you or I could ever imagine.
Please look within yourself to see if you have
the compassion to help in any possible way!!
With
dreams of the future, Sean Swarner |
