MY FIRST!! 14,000ft Battle for the Summit!
www.MounTimPossible.com – I’m tackling Kilimanjaro in 2017!
Tim’s Wish Comes True
/in Personal /by t-adminTim Conner is a 17-year-old leukemia survivor who lost his eyesight as a result of the disease. His wish was to spend a few days with Erik Weihenmayer, the only blind person who has climbed Everest. The Make-A-Wish Foundation brought Tim and his parents to Colorado for three days of adventure with Erik.
Ahead of Kilimanjaro Climb, Timothy Conners Reaches New Heights With Inspirational Book
/in Personal /by t-adminCollege student. Communications studies major. Motivational speaker. Now a first-time author. Soon-to-be summiteer of Kilimanjaro.
The list of descriptors applicable to Timothy Conners is all the more impressive when two more are considered: blind cancer survivor. At 15, he was diagnosed with a blood cancer known as T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia that eventually robbed him of his vision.
Earlier this month, Conners, now 22, released his debut book, titled “It’s Impossible Until You Do It: Succeeding in the Face of Adversity.” Part autobiography and part personal philosophy, the text is intended to present his outlook on living a fulfilling and meaningful existence.
“I wanted to do something that told you about my life, but I also didn’t want it to just be that. I wanted to teach what I’m speaking about,” Conners said.
More than that, the sale of every other book will go toward raising funds for his upcoming trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania — the highest mountain in Africa. That effort, which he’s dubbed MounTimPossible, is itself meant to raise money for charitable distribution.
“I really like to pay it forward. So many people and organizations have helped me get to where I am today,” Conners said.
MounTimPossible Can Drive Underway at Can-A-Lot Too
/in Personal /by t-adminFULTON, NY – Sometimes, when the message is just right, a little inspiration can go a long way.
That was the case when local author, inspirational speaker, and entrepreneur Tim Conners came in to speak to a room of students at the Fulton Junior High School in May, just days before embarking on a quest to climb Mount Kilamanjaro.
He shared his message and his mission with them, and answered at least a million questions about his daily life, his preparation for the upcoming climb, and, of course, his favorite type of candy bar.
After hearing Conners’ message to stay positive and help those around you in a positive way, the students were eager to watch his adventure unfold over the next few weeks as part of their morning routine.
They followed his journey on Facebook as he met and worked with students at the Mwereni Integrated School of the Blind.
They saw videos of him as he trekked the 18,885 feet up to the highest mountain on the continent of Africa and then they shared his joy when they watched a video of Tim and his father embrace as they reached the summit.
Inspired by Conners’ message and his determination to make a difference, the students wanted to show their support.
They made the decision to raise money through a school-wide can drive, and that they would donate all of the proceeds to the MounTimPossible mission.
The “We ‘CAN’ Move Mountains Together” operation was an overwhelming success, with students and staff in the school contributing over 1,800 cans and bottles.
From Moving Mountains to Climbing Mountains, Fulton Native Seeks to Redefine ‘Possible’
/in Personal /by t-adminFULTON, NY – The sudden onset of life-threatening cancer didn’t stop him. Losing his sight as a result didn’t stop him. The inevitable setbacks and hardships he faced through a challenging recovery still didn’t stop him.
As it seems, nothing can stop Tim Conners from “redefining possible.”
Surviving cancer was the first obstacle, but Conners’ story is much more than his fight for survival. In fact, that is where his story just begins, he said.
“I was at a point in my life where I questioned, what kind of life is this for me? I could barely move, I’m now blind. I asked myself, is life worth living in those moments when you’re tested the most because you feel like you’ve lost it all,” Conners told Oswego County Today.
But with an unbreakable spirit, those moments of doubt left as quickly as they came and he vowed that even though cancer took his eyesight, he wouldn’t let it touch his spirit.
Today, he commutes once a week to complete his last semester at Ithaca College to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, he has a newly published book for sale, and has raised nearly $20,000 for a fundraiser that both challenges him as an individual and gives back to multiple organizations that he feels he owes his life to.
Current, Former Lanigan Students Form Unbreakable Bond
/in Personal /by t-adminFULTON – Lanigan Elementary School has facilitated more than just academic and behavioral successes during the 2016-17 school year, as an unbroken bond and a forever friendship recently blossomed between a current and former student.
Conners looks to complete his ‘Mission’
/in Personal /by t-adminFULTON — Weeks away from embarking on the centerpiece event of what he calls “The Mission,” Fulton native Tim Conners says he’s ramping up both his training and the campaign of awareness and fundraising for a journey that once seemed out of the realm of possibility.
Conners, 22, lost his sight and very nearly his life in a years-long battle with cancer when he was still in high school. Now, he’s got his mind set on reaching another mountaintop.
In May, Conners and a small group of family, friends and mountaineering professionals will fly to Tanzania, intent on summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak.
For the last year, Conners and his foundation, MounTimPossible, have been fundraising not just for the trip, but also to donate $10,000 to four non-profit groups he says helped him through his illness and recovery.
“We’re connecting with people, getting the word out, booking different speaking engagements and raising this money for these groups,” Conners said. “Sometimes things don’t seem to be falling into place, or we’re moving forward at a rate where we think we won’t get there, but we always end up hitting our goals.”
Conners said he and his team have reached their target of raising $59,750 by March 18. That includes travel and guide costs, as well as the $40,000 total to donate to charity.
Last year, Conners also published a book titled “It’s Impossible Until You Do It: Succeeding in the Face of Adversity,” chronicling his fight and victory over T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma and the lessons and effects it left him with.
Proceeds from the book are going towards “The Mission,” defined as “climb a mountain, live life fully, make a difference and redefine possible.”
That mission includes raising a total of $500,000 for the organizations No Barriers USA, The Joe Andruzzi Foundation, the Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital and the Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation.
In anticipation of his trek up Kilimanjaro, Conners has been training relentlessly, spending six hours at a time on a Nordic Track machine to simulate the rigors of the climb.
That’s a long way from where Conners was in 2010, when after a bone marrow transplant and nearly a year in isolation to reboot his immune system, he could barely take several steps unassisted.
“Every day Tim is here, he’s on borrowed time and he’s defeated the odds, so every day is a gift,” said Tim’s mother, Betsy Conners.
Tim Conners said his itinerary to summit Kilimanjaro will take approximately nine days.
Tim’s father Mike Conners will be in the group traveling to Africa in May and says light-heartedly that his “expectation is to get up and down the mountain and come back alive.”
“It will be a huge undertaking and it’s a daunting task but very exciting,” Mike Conners said. “A lot of us talk the story but Tim lives it every day and keeps moving forward when many others would lay down and stop.”
“He’s an inspiration to me and many others,” he added.
Tim Conners Returns Home After “Intense” Summit of Mount Kilimanjaro
/in Personal /by t-adminSYRACUSE, NY – This afternoon at roughly 1:45, Fulton native Tim Conners returned to his anxiously awaiting family after an adventurous two-week stretch in Africa.
Tim’s mother, Betsy Conners was the first face at the airport terminal searching for her son and husband as they walked through the gate at Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
“I am just so thankful they are home. I’m so proud of them and all they accomplished and Tim’s committment to just keep paying it forward,” Tim’s mother, Betsy said.
Conners, 22, commonly referred to as Tim Possible, beat a life threatening cancer diagnosis that left him blind as a teenager.
Two weeks ago, seven years after the battle for his life began, he traveled the 7,556 miles from Fulton to the Kilimanjaro International Airport in Africa to begin his trek to the top of the highest point on the African continent as part of his MounTimPossible mission.
On his twelfth day in Africa, Conners and his team, partnered with K2 Adventures Foundation, reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro at 18,885 feet after 53 hours of climbing over a nine day stretch.
“I went through cancer and everything and this might be one of the toughest things I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Conners said. “But we did it. I couldn’t have done it without everyone on my team, they all pushed me.”
Conners referred to the momentous journey as “out of this world” and “incredibly intense” though somehow finding the strength to never give up.
Today, Conners reunited with his service dog, Lang, his mother, and the rest of his family.
Fulton cancer survivor summits Africa’s highest mountain
/in Personal /by t-adminSYRACUSE, N.Y. — It is an emotional homecoming for Tim Conners and his dad that has been years in the making.
“Just to be there seven years ago and him to tell me you have cancer to us standing on the highest mountain on the top of Africa. What a journey,” Conners said.
Loved ones, including his dog, Lang, welcomed Tim home after he reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
After beating cancer that stole his sight, Tim has been on a mission to overcome the seemingly impossible.
“I can’t see we’re at the top. I know we’re at the top. People are telling me you’re at the top, but then when I reach out and touch the sign that’s like the real moment for me. Like we’re there. We did this,” Conners said.
After 18 months of planning and 53 hours of climbing, Tim and his team, which included his dad and uncle, reached the top.
Tim said it is still to soon to grasp the gravity of his journey.
He did it to raise awareness and money for all of the charities that helped him beat his illness.
“And to have him pay it forward is the thing I’m most proud of. We saw a lot of kids along the way that didn’t make it and family members who have been beaten by cancer and time does it for all of them,” Betsy Conners, Tim’s mother, said.
The climb was for Tim was grueling.
Cancer and the treatment that followed has left his body vulnerable to the elements.
“We had a lot of support, a lot of perseverance and a lot of love along the way and with all those things combined, we as a group were able to do this,” Conners said.
https://cnycentral.com/news/local/fulton-cancer-survivor-summits-africas-tallest-mountain
He lost his sight to cancer, but not his vision of a full life
/in Personal /by t-adminWhen Tim Conners collected his wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation in 2012 at the age of 18, he was blind from childhood leukemia that had spread to his optic nerve and craving inspiration to transcend his disability. A football player and wrestler who’d never been an outdoorsman, he asked to meet Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to climb the Seven Summits, the highest mountains on seven continents.
Tim’s wish came true. He had 2½ terrifying but transformative days of outdoor adventures in Colorado with Erik, who lost his sight to a degenerative eye disorder at 13.
Now Tim is training to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the 19,000-foot peak in Tanzania in May, shortly after he graduates from Ithaca College. He’s already climbed four peaks in Colorado, including the 14,000-foot, snow- and loose-rock-covered Mount Sherman last summer. He’s trekked and rafted in the Grand Canyon.
“In a lot of ways, losing my sight gave me my vision,” says Tim.
Tim’s journey began on April 3, 2010, when he was diagnosed at Upstate Galisano Children’s Hospital in Syracuse, New York, near his home, with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common pediatric cancer, with an overall 90 percent cure rate. Tim had T-cell ALL, a very aggressive subset that requires an intense chemotherapy regimen to achieve such a high cure rate.
The intensive chemotherapy pushed Tim’s leukemia into remission, but the disease was back three months later, at which time doctors discovered cancer in Tim’s eyes. Surgery failed to save his sight.
Next came a hematopoietic stem cell transplant at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, in September 2010. His brother’s healthy stem cells were infused into his bloodstream, engrafted in his bone marrow and took over space once occupied by cancer cells.
Stem cell transplant is a curative but toxic therapy that carries risks of graft-versus-host disease, infection, rejection and organ dysfunction. These complications are associated with a 5-15 percent mortality risk. Because his cancer had relapsed, Tim needed additional radiation and chemotherapy prior to the normal intensive pre-treatment required to make room for donor cells, which increased his risk of complications. He developed life-threatening heart and kidney failure and fluid overload in his lungs.
Pediatric specialists from Boston Children’s Hospital — intensivists in the intensive care unit, a nephrologist for his kidneys and cardiologist for his heart — worked with Tim’s transplant team to save him.
“Honestly, a miracle happened,” says Tim. “Thanks to my stubbornness, great doctors and a mother who checked everything, I was able to rebound.”
“Tim was a very challenging patient who had an atypical relapse of his very aggressive type of leukemia,” says Dr. Esther Obeng. “But he’s a fighter and was able to recover.”