SurvivorNetTV Presents: ‘True North’ — A Story of Formidable Obstacles and Unwavering Determination

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Travel to the North Pole with Sean Swarner

True North, The Sean Swarner Story is a jaw-dropping look at how far a man will go to feel alive, and to bring hope to millions of people touched by cancer around the world.
When he was young, Swarner was diagnosed with two life threatening forms of cancer. Now, the unshakeable survivor has set his sights on the North Pole.
True North follows Swarner as he tries to make history and inspire cancer fighters to keep pushing forward.

Welcome to SurvivorNetTV’s film True North. This documentary follows the story of author and adventurer Sean Swarner as he takes on his most daunting challenge yet.

As a teenager, Swarner was diagnosed with two lethal forms of cancer. Now, he’s trekking to the brutal and unforgiving North Pole. True North is the inspiring account of Swarner’s quest to bring hope to millions of people touched by cancer around the world.

"I didn't choose to go crawl up in a corner and die and think, 'Okay, well, that's it, I'm done, game over," Swarner tells SurvivorNet about his cancer battles. Swarner was first diagnosed with cancer at just 13-years-old, and was diagnosed with a separate second cancer at 16. His oncologists declared his condition as terminal, and he was told he would only have two weeks to live.

He battled the odds, and he came out on top. "Nobody knows how much time you have left on the planet. So what I wanted to do was make the most of it. If the prognosis is going to be alive for 14 days, I wanted to truly love and live life. I still do," Swarner continues.

Swarner is on a missiona Mission of Hopea profound and symbolic honor for the millions affected by cancer worldwide. He has dedicated each one of his climbs to the cancer patients he hopes to inspiresymbolized by a flag he carries with him to each peak. His exploration to the North Pole is no different.

With the help of Vern Yip, television personality and interior designer, Swarner designs the Flag of Hope. Months leading up to his final endeavor, Swarner takes the Flag of Hope across the country. One by one, those affected by cancer put their names on the flag. United by one purpose, Swarner hopes to cover the world in hope.

If he’s successful, Swarner stands to become the world’s first cancer survivor to complete the Explorer’s Grand Slam–scaling the highest point on all seven continents and then hiking to the North and South Poles. Only a handful of people have ever done it, but no one who’s faced the overwhelming odds Swarner has.

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Joe Kerwin is a writer and researcher at SurvivorNet, based in New York City. Read More