Canadian Mt. Everest 2005: Another Dr Sean Egan Story

Update: I was a student of Sean's at the University of Ottawa several years ago...when I heard of his passing I was so saddened...I hadn't thought about Sean in a while, but when I heard that I began to think about the influence he has had on my life.  I wrote a little article for the school newspaper about him....I don't think it got published or anything, but I just wanted to share it with you....

Canada lost one of its greats with the passing of Sean Egan.  Dr. Sean Egan was a professor of Human Kinetics at the University of Ottawa who passed away during an attempt to summit Mount Everest from complications of a respiratory infection. This is a huge loss not only for the University of Ottawa, but for anyone who would have had to opportunity to meet him. Sean, as he insisted we call him, was undoubtedly one of the most inspiring people I had the opportunity to encounter. If ever you wonder what life is supposed to be all about, take a look at Sean Egan’s. Though I know he suffered hardships that not many of us know about, Sean had it all figured out. He knew what was important, and knew how to convey the important things to his students. Sean Egan was an inspirational person, and will always be in the back of my mind whenever I tackle something I didn’t think I could. There have been many people in my life who, at one time or another, have preached the ‘stop thinking about it and do it’ lifestyle, but Sean is the only person whom I have ever seen truly live it. Sean Egan has accomplished more in his 63 year life than many of us ever will.

            Being a student of Sean’s for 4 years, I have learned so much about life, and what is really important. I mean, not things like grades, or how much you know, but family, friends, health and most of all happiness. I’m sure if Sean could leave our society with a couple messages, they’d be something like this:

            Lose weight.

            Smile everyday, even if you don’t feel like it. Eventually you will.

            Help someone, especially yourself. Analyze yourself.  If you don’t like something about yourself, change it. If you don’t like something about the world, change it.

            Eat well. Anti-oxidants, exercise and happiness are the key to staying healthy.

            Walk. Humans were meant to do it. Most of us don’t.

            Technology has made it easier for us to watch others do the things we want to do. Stop watching and go for it.

            Do what’s important to you, not what’s important to other people. Figure that out.

            Our health care system is there for you only when you get sick. It’s not there to take care of you when you’re healthy. That’s your job. Get on it.          

             All these things I’m sure you have heard before, but until I met Sean Egan, they didn’t really mean much. In today’s society these things may not seam easy, but they can be. Sean was a perfect example that you can live this way easily, even today. At 60 years old, Sean could run 20 flights of stairs with ease. He’d leave of his students behind on most physical fitness tests. He was content with his life, because he made it that way. It seemed that he tried everything he wanted to do. He didn’t fall into the trap of North American obesity, mental health issues, or ignorance. Sean Egan was the healthiest person I knew, and he died of cardiac arrest living a dream. So much has come from Sean Egan’s life, but if anything were to come from his death it’s this: Wake up North America. We can’t decide, prevent, or predict when we’re going to die. But we can do something about the current state of our nation, so get off your butts and do it, because you never know when it will be your last chance.

Lisa Stanley, Former Student

Now living in St. John's, Newfoundland

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