Climbing Aconcagua in support of Cancer Survivors

Hello, my name is Sean Ruhl Sheridan, I am 27 and I currently live in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where I moved just over 2 years ago to pursue a career in Geology. In 2013, I went through the hardest moment in my life with the passing of the most important person in it, my mother. After six long years fighting cervical cancer, it was time to rest. I was devastated by it, it took me very long to recover. My family and I were fortunately there beside her every step of the way to support her, and especially to love her. It was during this fight that I learned what being strong means, it is not being able to lift the heaviest dumbbell at the gym, or running the longest distance, it is being able to even stand up after chemotherapy, it is spending time with your family when all you want to do is rest, it is fighting 6 years when you were told you only had 6 months left. I met real gladiators in that chemo room, fighters, survivors but most importantly mothers, brothers, grandparents, sons. But where do they get such strength to fight such a ruthless disease? From us, their loved ones, we are their source of strength and the reason they want to keep fighting, even when they are exhausted. Aconcagua standing at 22,838 feet tall (8,962 meters) is the second tallest mountain in the world, located here in Mendoza, Argentina. It is also arguably one of the most physical and mentally demanding climbs. I plan to take on it to honor the brave fighters like my mother, who fight not for riches, fame or glory, but to live one more day with their loved ones. Even if able to make the summit I would have only experienced a fraction of the adversities a cancer patient has to face every day. I will attempt this climb with no mountaineering experience at all, other than some long hikes in the Californian hills and the determination of overcoming adversity in honor of such a cause, because no one is born with the experience to battle cancer either, yet patients everyday do it, and nothing can compare to their fight. I want to do this to try and make people aware of how hard the battle against cancer really is, and how important it is for us to be there for them, as family, as a community, we need to support them and they need to feel loved, that is many times stronger that any treatment. My initial plan is to make the expedition if I can raise the funds, either through saving or fundraising, around February of next year, that will give me the time to prepare physically and mentally for this venture. Unfortunately I need to ask for donations to fund my expedition, because working part time and studying makes it hard for me to save the money for this.

Any support to this cause is greatly appreciated.