- Sabine Schwab"Bee"Sabine Schwab"Bee"
Jill of all Trades
New JerseyBee (Sabine Schwab as she is known in the real world) attended an Epic Experience camp in May 2016. It was her first time in the beautiful state of Colorado – and she "absolutely fell in love”. Right after camp, Bee joined the Alumni team, and has been back to the ranch as a volunteer every year since.
Sabine is a primary brain tumor survivor, Ph.D., German emigrant to the U.S., mom to a little girl, avid yogi and rock climber. She loves traveling and photography as much as volunteering for Epic. Being a a strong believer in the healing power of nature and togetherness, Bee aims is to to connect other cancer survivors to live up to the quote:
“When “I” is replaced by “We”, Illness becomes Wellness!” (Malcolm X).
- Brad Glassel“B-Rad”Brad Glassel“B-Rad”
Camper Fundraising Advisor
WisconsinAt age 58, a routine physical revealed a high PSA score. With no symptoms, Brad thought, "no big deal? " Well, after a biopsy, he was told that he had prostate cancer. After rounds of hormone therapy, External Beam Radiation, and a high dosage radiation, Brad was in a pretty dark place and never knew who to talk to about the situation.
He stumbled across an article about a donation to Epic Experience and applied that night. Attending the January '17 Snow Apocalypse camp changed his outlook and gave him some dear friends that know him like no one else.
When Brad returned home, he posted a Facebook story that raised about $2,500, which is enough for another camper. That was his goal. He'd be happy to help you do the same and give someone the chance to have an Epic Experience!
- Gail Fay"Sunshine"Gail Fay"Sunshine"
Communication Specialist
CaliforniaGail is an editor, writer, reader, exerciser, nature admirer, photography dabbler, and ovarian cancer survivor. After hearing about Epic through two former campers, Gail attended a winter camp in 2016 and had a blast! The combination of beautiful surroundings, awesome activities, and connections with other survivors gave her a much-needed mental and emotional reboot. After having her own life changed, Gail started volunteering with Epic, both at camp and as a writer/editor. She joined the Alumni Team in July 2017 to help other survivors regain hope and live beyond cancer.
- Jessica Gripentrog"North"Jessica Gripentrog"North"
Camper Outreach Specialist
MichiganJessica is a nurse, fitness enthusiast, health food lover, reader, thrill seeker, positivity spreader and ALL cancer survivor.
She attended Epic Experience in May 2016, and the whole experience has given her support, strength and belief in herself again. The camp atmosphere allowed the pressures of judgement and "feeling different" to be lifted and allowed a sense of normalcy to set in.
Being diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) at the age of 19, her journey with cancer was very isolated. She was the youngest patient in the chemo clinic, and she didn't know any other young adults that had been effected by cancer. Epic was the kind of community that Jessica needed all along.
Attending camp encouraged her to open up about my cancer experience, which allowed her to discover suppressed emotions she had been carrying around. During camp, she faced fears head on and left with an ignited passion for adventure! She joined the Alumni Team to help others realize that no one is in this alone.
- Jordan Adams"Specs"Jordan Adams"Specs"
Jordan Adams, aka “Specs”, is an outdoorsman, partner dancer, eyewear enthusiast, cat whisperer, board game maestro and ultimate frisbee player from Sacramento, CA. He was diagnosed with Uveal Melanoma, a rare eye cancer that forced the removal of his right eye in September 2016. He now wears a prosthetic eye, which he considers a monument to his cancers demise.
Jordan attended camp in the summer of 2017, during a low point in his post-cancer life. Being a part of EPIC was instrumental in giving him an opportunity to relive all the outdoorsy fun he loved so much prior to his diagnosis, and prove to himself that he didn’t have to stop doing what brings him joy because of cancer! It also demonstrated to him the value of empathy and community among survivors, and he hopes to bring that sense of community and support to others through the alumni team.
- Lynda Wolters"Yard Sale"Lynda Wolters"Yard Sale"Yard Sale aka Lynda Wolters, attended camp in 2018. She was looking for a way to jump start her activity level and learn to live life again after being diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma in 2016.
She is an avid dancer and loves sunshine sports; she was thrilled to learn to kayak and fly fish while at Epic and boasts about being able to use her dancer balancing skills to stand up in her kayak and ride the rapids!
Epic was rejuvenating for Lynda both physically and mentally and she is now paying that forward by joining the Alumni Team.
“I left my Epic Experience camp with a dozen new best friends that I now call family. Every cancer survivor/thriver should have the opportunity to experience this life beyond cancer.”
While I would never have wanted this journey called cancer, I would never give up the experience. ~ Yard Sale
- Amanda Blackburn"Semi"Amanda Blackburn"Semi"Step Challenge Co-LeadAmanda "Semi" Blackburn comes to you from Louisville Kentucky! She is a Colorectal Cancer Survivor....camp name “Semi” due to her semi colon. She is a mother of two beautiful girls, a 20 year Air Force Veteran, and lover of all things outdoors. She especially loves to play sports, fish, hike, travel, and do anything that’s involves the company of her family and friends.She attended a winter camp in 2019 seeking to face the emotional detriment that comes with a cancer diagnosis, treatment, and life after cancer. Epic was healing for Semi through small group, a family atmosphere, and outdoor adventure. She was amazed at the transformation her and her fellow campers experienced mind, body, and spirit.Semi likes to live by the motto “play hard....pray harder”!
- Sarah Bean"Beans"Sarah Bean"Beans"Social Media SpecialistSarah Bean aka Beans -nickname given by friends- is a Hodgkin's Lymphoma survivor from the great state of Oklahoma. She and her husband, Darrell, have a growing family with three grown children, one daughter-in-law, one son-in-law and four grand children. She attended the camp for HL survivors sponsored by Seattle Genetics in August 2018.A few of her favorite memories from camp were whitewater rafting, learning to play corn hole and bocce ball, and stand up paddle boarding. The small groups were meaningful to her because it was the thriver support she had been lacking since her diagnosis.She loves doing a variety of activities as long as it is with family and friends, but some of her favorites are floating the Illinois River near Tahlequah, OK every 4th of July, taking her grand children to the park, watching movies, exploring breweries with friends.She hopes to spread joy, give support to other thrivers, and provide engagement as a Social Media Specialist on the Alumni Team."It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." Confucius
- Georgianna Dotson"Gidget"Georgianna Dotson"Gidget"
Georgianna Dotson, aka “Gidget”, is an Air Force veteran and avid outdoor sportsman! As daughter of an army soldier, Gidget has lived all over the world. She currently lives and thrives in Louisville, Kentucky. After recovering from breast cancer and treatment, Gidget became obsessed with all things fitness and began a health journey to take back her life and her health. Stand-Up Paddleboarding, Dragonboating, running and cycling are her favorite “go-to” sports.
Gidget attended camp in the spring of 2019 and was overwhelmed by the love, support and the epic adventures she shared with the other campers and volunteers. Gidget volunteers with the Alumni team to help bring that same experience to future campers and help them gain their confidence back and help them thrive after their cancer diagnosis. As a survivor and a widow, Gidget’s philosophy on life is to “live NOW, while you’re here, we are not promised tomorrow”.