Sean Swarner ’97 to Speak at 30th Annual Christy Memorial Lecture Feb. 12 at Westminster College

Westminster College will host the 30th Annual Wayne H. Christy Memorial Lecture Sunday, February 12, 2017 at 7:00 PM in Wallace Memorial Chapel with guest speaker, Sean Swarner '97. The event is free and open to the public.

Swarner is the first known cancer survivor to climb to the top of Mt. Everest. Diagnosed in the fourth and final stage of Hodgkin's disease at the age of 13 and then again with Askin's sarcoma at 16, Swarner has survived both diseases and triumphantly climbed Mt. Everest with only partial use of his lungs just a decade later.

Swarner is the founder of The CancerClimber Association (CCA), a non-profit organization dedicated to helping those impacted by cancer by focusing on living an active and healthy lifestyle. He is the author of the book Keep Climbing and a motivational speaker to corporations, universities, and other organizations around the globe. Swarner has been called the “most powerful speaker ever” by such companies as IBM, Roche, Amgen, and countless organizations and universities.

In a previous interview, Swarner states that his story is not just about his illness and the heartache and pain it caused; his story is about something greater. Swarner says, “[My story] is about hope; it’s about helping others and never quitting. It’s about personal battles with the elements and coming out on top of the world, literally."

Since climbing Mt. Everest, Swarner has topped the highest peaks in Africa, Europe, South America, Australia, Antarctica, and North America, and has trekked the South Pole. After recently completing the Ironman World Championship, Swarner's next adventure is completing the "Explorers Grand Slam" in April. The Explorers Grand Slam is an adventurers challenge to reach the North Pole, the South Pole and all of the Seven Summits.

As part of the Wayne H. Christy Memorial Lecture series, Swarner comes to Westminster to share his message of healing, hope, and triumph and to empower people to climb their own “Everest” in both life and in business.

The Wayne H. Christy Memorial Lecture series honors the late Dr. Christy, who was a long-time faculty member and chair of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Westminster College. As Dr. Christy dedicated his life to relating the heritage of faith to the emerging issues of a changing culture, the lecture series seeks out men and women who distinguish themselves by relating Christian faith to issues of contemporary life.

For more information, contact Diane Gabriel at 724-946-7117 or gabriedl@westminster.edu.

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