AURORA | Tom Olson has always tried to teach his epileptic son lessons of perseverance, but what he has learned observing his son climb mountains is that there’s no obstacle too insurmountable to overcome.
“You know there can be curves thrown at you in your life, but it’s how you deal with them that makes the difference in whether you’re going to have a fruitful life or whether you’re going to let those things get you down,” he said. “John has taught me through his own life to never let any day get you down, and to be thankful for each day.”
Shortly before Father’s Day, on June 14, the pair of Aurora residents will stand atop Mount St. Helens, an active volcano in Washington, hoping their feat will inspire others to rise above the challenges associated with the illness.
They’ve dubbed the climb “Stop The Eruption,” because John says seizures caused by epilepsy erupt in the brain similar to how a volcano erupts.
Despite his illness, John has always had athletic prowess.
He was featured in the Nov. 7, 2011 issue of Sports Illustrated for climbing nine of Colorado’s 14,000 foot peaks.
On this climb, the pair hopes to raise money for the Epilepsy Foundation of America, the Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy, and Outdoor Mindset, an organization that promotes outdoor activities for people with neurological disorders.
According to the Epilepsy Foundation, about 3 million people across the nation suffer from epilepsy, a neurological disorder that affects the nervous system and often causes seizures.
“Knowing what they go through, we want to do our best to give those people hope and to honor them and let them know not to give up,” Tom said.
John, 23, has been living with epilepsy for about 20 years. Although his dad says the illness “robbed John of his childhood,” John remained heavily active throughout high school.
He was a competitive swimmer at Cherokee Trail High School and qualified for state championships two years in a row. He’s also an expert skier.
But when John was younger, he had weekly complex partial seizures where he would stare into space and drift in and out of consciousness. When he was in eighth grade he had a major brain surgery to help relieve the seizures, and after that, his seizures were occurring bi-weekly. In 2010, John underwent vagus nerve stimulation for his seizures at the Anschutz Medical Campus, which has helped him tremendously, he said. His seizures are less frequent now, only occurring once every four or five months.
Over the past several months, Tom and John have received photographs of kids with epilepsy who want John to take the photos with him on his climb.
John said he’s confident that he’ll reach the summit, and is excited for the opportunity.
“It feels really phenomenal,” he said.
Reach reporter Sara Castellanos at 720-449-9036 or sara@aurorasentinel.com.
To donate money, visit the websites of the Epilepsy Foundation of America at epilepsyfoundation.org, the Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy at cureepilepsy.org, and Outdoor Mindset at outdoormindset.org.