Battling Cancer then Trekking to Everest: The Story of the Incredible Perseverance of One Cancer Survivor
Doctors diagnosed Patrick with acute myeloid leukemia
Patrick Shryock is a former patient and cancer survivor of The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health Blood Cancer Center in Cincinnati, OH. He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in October of 2014. While undergoing treatment, he contracted a life-threatening infection. His care team placed him in a medically induced coma. He remained in that condition for 12 days until his medical team found a combination of medicine to combat infection.
“There were days that my wife and mom sat with me in my room, thinking they were watching me die,” said Shryock. But he became a cancer survivor thanks to the staff at The Jewish Hospital. Patrick spoke about his time in the hospital, saying “the only reason I am still alive is because of the care I received.”
While Patrick recovered from leukemia, he faced a challenge to rebuild his strength and had to learn to walk again. He persisted, walking further each day, before he started jogging, and then running. Just one year after leaving the hospital, he ran his first 5K. He participated in several races since then, raising money for several different charities for cancer.
After taking on cancer, Patrick was ready for the next battle: Mount Everest
This April 2019, he is taking on another daunting challenge. DHL globally selected Patrick to trek to the Mt. Everest Base Camp in Nepal. The company picked 14 participants. DHL selected Patrick because of his personal story of survival against tough odds.
Shryock approaches the challenging trek to the Everest Base camp with confidence saying, “I have battled my own personal Mt. Everest to get my health back and since being in remission, I have taken every opportunity to experience life since I was so close to losing mine.”
He and his coworkers are paying their good fortune forward, using the trek to raise funds for Direct Relief, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization whose mission is to “improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergency situations by mobilizing and providing essential medical resources needed for their care.”
Shryock wanted to share this news with Mercy Health because of the lifelong friendships he made with the staff at the Blood Cancer Center.
If you’re feeling inspired by Patrick’s story and want to start making strides in personal goals, check out this read about how to stick to resolutions and set realistic goals.
