First read of 2008

My first post in January. I guess I didn't expect 2008 to creep up this fast...but here I am. I'm still trying to recover from New Years. I have this lovely way of looking at extended rest...with frustration. I've been held to various stages of rest and convalescence for way too many large chunks of my life but sometimes you have to listen to the body.

During this post ball drop slump I have had the pleasure of reading Sean Swarner's book, "Keep Climbing." Actually I just picked it up last night and have not been able to put it down. Sean is a fellow Hodgkins survivor who climbed Everest! Sean too is a two-time cancer survivor, his second being Askin's Sarcoma. By the way this second round with the big C held a 6 percent survival rate. You might expect that someone who beat those odds would take life light and easy...no sir...Sean decided to start climbing mountains.
Holy macanoli! Holi Denali!
After 'meeting' in the chat room following the Stupid Cancer Show segment I typed to him, telling him our students were reading Into Thin Air. Graciously, he offered to answer some of their questions via email. Actually, as I was reading his email the other night it seemed almost as if I was reading a note from a college friend, not someone who just recently completed the Seven Summits. For a guy whose had his head farther in the clouds than most of us could even fathom...he sure seems pretty down to earth.
I have about 50 more pages to go this morning but I am telling you the book is very powerful.
Sean, if you are reading...thanks for sharing your story with the world.