Alumni Team

Jill of all Trades
New Jersey

Bee (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., 4-year old mommy, 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).

Hospital Outreach Specialist
Illinois

Kelly is a true Chicagoan loving her Lake Michigan summers and Blackhawks in the winter. She attended an Epic Experience camp in Summer 2016 as a Hodgkins Lymphoma survivor. Through camp, Kelly recognized the power of healing through connection and outdoor activities. She joined the Alumni Team because she wanted to give back to a community that gave so much to her.

Social Media Specialist
Colorado

Gloria was diagnosed November 2015, the week of Thanksgiving, with Stage IIA Er/Pr/HER2 positive Breast Cancer at the age of 38. Her treatment consisted of a bilateral mastectomy with tissue expanders, 6 rounds of chemo including 18 rounds of Herceptin, 5 weeks of radiation followed by additional exchange surgery. 

She attended camp July 2016 while still in treatment. It made her feel normal to be able to do normal activities and be around people that understood what she had been going through. Epic Experience has provided Gloria an EPIC support group and life long friendships! After attending camp, she got involved where ever she could give back to an organization that gave her so much!!

Camper Fundraising Advisor
Wisconsin

At 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!

Communication Specialist
California

Gail 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 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.

Jay joined the Alumni Team as the resident Tech Specialist in the Fall of 2016. Diagnosed with Philadelphia Positive Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in 2011, and after attending an Epic Experience camp in January of 2015, Jay saw firsthand how outdoor adventure camps can positively affect the lives of cancer survivors, and he wanted to give back. 

Jay gained a newfound passion for the outdoors, and loves volunteering at the Epic Experience camps. In his free time, Jay enjoys staying active in nature, learning about blockchain and Ethereum, and connecting with other cancer survivors at conferences and meet-ups. 

"For me, cancer has been a blessing in disguise. It has opened my eyes to a world I did not know existed, and has set me on a path of self discovery to find my true passion in life. "

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.

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