Stage 4 Cancer Patient Climbs Mount Everest: 'Possibilities Are Limitless'

Shaunna Burke, an exercise psychologist and researcher at the University of Leeds, confronted her own mortality by climbing Mount Everest-despite a Stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis.

Burke, originally from Quebec and now residing in Addingham, England, underwent a double mastectomy and multiple rounds of chemotherapy. She said using the words "palliative care" was the hardest moment.

"You start to learn how to manage any sort of fear you might have around mortality," she said. "And I think that’s what frees you to live."

This wasn’t Burke’s first summit-she reached the top in 2005. But this time, she climbed for more than personal challenge. She raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support and studied the effects of low oxygen on advanced cancer progression.

Burke spent a night in the "death zone," above 8,000 meters, where oxygen is insufficient for human life. She reached the summit at 3 a.m.

Exercise oncology is a growing field. The College of Family Physicians of Canada reports that regular physical activity for cancer patients is linked to higher treatment completion rates and better long-term survival.