Five years after a multiple myeloma diagnosis and treatment, this Swedish patient is living her best life—and helping others do the same.

Saturday, March 29, 2025

[5 min read]

In this article:

When Swedish patient Barbara Travers received a life-changing cancer diagnosis five years ago it gave her new focus and determination.
Some two and a half years ago she climbed Mount St. Helens to raise funds for Team Survivor Northwest, an organization that supports women living with a cancer diagnosis.
She is also committed to living her own life to the fullest. We caught up with her recently to learn more about where this extraordinary woman is today.

From a cancer diagnosis to climbing a mountain

Barbara Travers is, by any measure, intrepid. After a diagnosis of multiple myeloma and subsequent stem-cell transplant five years ago, she did the obvious next thing: she climbed a mountain.

During a conversation with one of her nurses, Travers mentioned wanting to expand her support group. That talk helped her find the right people. “The nurse told me, ‘I’ve got a group for you. It’s a bunch of ladies who go out and do stuff,’” says Travers.

It was Team Survivor Northwest, a Seattle-based organization that offers fitness and health education programs to help women cancer survivors take an active role in their physical and emotional healing.

Soon, Travers was joining other women cancer survivors for training hikes once a week. The goal was not just to scale the 8,365-foot summit of Mount St. Helens, but to raise money for other women who’ve been diagnosed with cancer.

Travers, 68, knew from the very start that she’d make it to the top. Sure, she’d never climbed a mountain before, but she’d trained hard and knew what to expect.

Travers, her fellow hikers and a guide made it through the forest and up the 2.5 miles of boulders together. Then, when they hit the last mile of vertical gravel and sand, one of the hikers started struggling with the steep terrain. “Our guide told me to keep going,” recalls Travers. “She said, ‘I can see you. Keep going.’ So, I did.”

When she was halfway up the last mile, Travers burst into tears: “I was all alone. It was so difficult hiking up what felt like a giant sandhill. As I looked up at the summit and saw the rest of my team cheering me on, I lost it. I knew at that moment I was going to make it. When I did, it felt like I was on top of the world. It was a monumental achievement. But so is beating cancer.”

“Climbing Mt. St. Helens changed everything for me,” says Travers.

“I get a lot out of pumping people up.”

Today, she brings that same energy and determination to living her life every day.

Travers is still involved with Team Survivor in addition to traveling, making art, writing, producing videos, spending time with friends and much more. To help keep her centered and connected to her cancer community, Travers also participates in therapy groups through the Providence Swedish Cancer Institute, including art therapy and journaling.

^{When her multiple myeloma treatment was complete, Providence Swedish Cancer Institute patient Barbara Travers turned her radiation mask into a piece of art. Creativity has been essential to the work of processing her experience with cancer and staying connected to her cancer community.}

She also sees her oncologist, Bin Xie, M.D. and his team every three months for a check-in that includes blood tests and an infusion. Currently there is no “cure” for multiple myeloma, but treatment advancements offer patients effective management and the possibility of long-term remission.

^{Travers on a trip to Italy. Multiple myeloma treatment put her frequent flying on standby, but she's once again visiting places around the globe. “When I look back at what happened I just cannot believe what I went through,” she says.}

Travers celebrates every February 19, the date of her stem-cell transplant, as her annual “birthday” in recognition of the new life the procedure gave her. It’s not something she takes for granted.

“When I look back at what happened I just cannot believe what I went through,” she says, clearly astounded. “It sometimes seems like a dream sometimes, but then I think, ‘Look at you!’”

Travers credits her parents with instilling in her an unwavering fortitude and the courage to face challenges head-on. She’s committed to helping others do the same. Central to her life is working to support those living with cancer and going through cancer treatment.

“I get a lot out of pumping people up,” she says,

Looking back on Mount St. Helens, Travers says the experience was about so much more than getting to the summit.

“It wasn’t about conquering the mountain,” she acknowledges. “It was about conquering the loss of my life as I knew it. Dr. Xie said I needed to regain my confidence. And I did.”

Learn more and find a physician or advanced practice clinician (APC)

At the Providence Swedish Cancer Institute, we know that no two cancers are alike. That’s why we focus on you — not your disease. If you need cancer care or are looking for testing to determine your cancer risk, we can help.

You can also learn more about available clinical trials. Our physician investigators and researchers are involved in hundreds of ongoing trials involving most types of cancer.

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