She Was Diagnosed With Incurable Stage 4 Cancer and Climbed Mount Everest Anyway — Shaunna Burke Just Made History

May 28, 2026 by apost team

Shaunna Burke, Ph.D., has spent most of her adult life studying cancer. She built a 17-year career as a cancer researcher, ran studies on how mountaineering aided the psychological recovery of breast cancer survivors, and climbed Mount Everest in 2005, becoming only the second Canadian woman to reach its summit. She understood the disease intellectually, scientifically, and at a distance. Then, in March 2024, she was diagnosed with it herself.

Initial scans suggested Stage 2 breast cancer — serious, but treatable. Burke, currently based in the United Kingdom, held onto that diagnosis as tightly as she could. "I told myself, 'Okay, this is curable. I'm going to have a tough journey with treatment, but eventually my life can go back to normal,'" she told Outside magazine. Weeks later, further scans revealed the cancer had spread to her liver. She was now facing Stage 4, incurable breast cancer. Her doctors began using the word "palliative."

Burke did not stop moving. She ran 3 miles to her chemotherapy sessions and walked home. She climbed Lobuche East in the Himalayas, over 6,000 meters high, while still in treatment. She ran the Everest Marathon, finishing in 7 hours and 41 minutes. She returned home for another operation on her liver. She changed her diet, cut out alcohol, and committed to a tailored exercise plan developed around her own research. "I had to make sure that I didn't overtax my body," she told TODAY. "Your white blood cell count is already so low. You've got to be really careful."

Then, on April 18, 2026, she began her second ascent of Mount Everest — this time with Stage 4 cancer, and this time for everyone who had ever been told their mountain was unclimbable.

On May 23, 2026, Shaunna Burke reached the summit of Mount Everest at 29,032 feet — becoming the first woman in history to summit the mountain with Stage 4, incurable cancer. She began her descent the same day and spoke to TODAY.com from base camp shortly afterward.

"More than anything, this was much bigger than me," she said.

"This was a special climb because I felt like I was carrying so many people with me. The messages of support were just unbelievable."

The climb was documented for an upcoming feature documentary titled "Dying to Climb," produced by Saga Media Film, and Burke has been raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, a U.K.-based charity providing care for people living with cancer. She is also collaborating with a research team from Leeds Beckett University, using the expedition to study altitude training, resilience strategies, and the role of exercise in cancer treatment tolerability and mental health.

"I first climbed the mountain 21 years ago, and I was the second Canadian woman to ever summit Everest in 2005," she wrote on Instagram before departing. "My scientific research and mountaineering journey have been intertwined since then, as I spent many years researching the impact of exercise on the side effects of cancer treatment, now becoming my own case study."

She added:

"I am back on Everest now for a few reasons. Primarily, I am here as a result of my incurable cancer diagnosis, and my goal is to inspire others facing their own battles — no matter what their mountains are."

On May 23, she stood at the top of the world. She had carried every one of them with her.

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Does Shaunna Burke's story inspire you? Do you think her journey is a reminder that a diagnosis does not have to define the limits of a life? Let us know in the comments and pass this on to your family, friends, and anyone who needs to hear this story today!