Betsy, Tim, Mike and little Griffin Conners are reunited after a two-week trip to Africa in which Tim and Mike summited Mt. Kilimanjaro as part of the MounTimPossible mission.
Tim’s mother, Betsy Conners shares some of Tim’s story with news outlets as they await his arrival.
Tim’s family anxiously awaits his arrival home.
Tim’s nephew, Griffin, and his service dog, Lang enjoy some quality time at the airport as they await Tim and his team’s arrival in Syracuse.
Tim’s mom, Betsy Conners is all smiles as she waits to greet her son and husband home from Africa.
Tim, left, and his father, Mike Conners, right, arrive through the terminal at Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
Tim Conner and his mother, Betsy emotionally embrace after 16 days apart of which Tim reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.
Tim’s service dog, Lang, excitedly greets him home.
Tim’s service dog, Lang, excitedly greets him home.
Tim shares his experience climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.
Tim speaks with family and local news outlets about his adventurous journey.
Mike Conners is reunited with his grandson, Griffin.
Tim is greeted by his nephew, Griffin.
Betsy, Tim, Mike and little Griffin Conners are reunited after a two-week trip to Africa in which Tim and Mike summited Mt. Kilimanjaro as part of the MounTimPossible mission.
SYRACUSE, NY – This afternoon at roughly 1:45, Fulton native Tim Conners returned to his anxiously awaiting family after an adventurous two-week stretch in Africa.
Tim’s mother, Betsy Conners was the first face at the airport terminal searching for her son and husband as they walked through the gate at Syracuse Hancock International Airport.
“I am just so thankful they are home. I’m so proud of them and all they accomplished and Tim’s committment to just keep paying it forward,” Tim’s mother, Betsy said.
Conners, 22, commonly referred to as Tim Possible, beat a life threatening cancer diagnosis that left him blind as a teenager.
Two weeks ago, seven years after the battle for his life began, he traveled the 7,556 miles from Fulton to the Kilimanjaro International Airport in Africa to begin his trek to the top of the highest point on the African continent as part of his MounTimPossible mission.
On his twelfth day in Africa, Conners and his team, partnered with K2 Adventures Foundation, reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro at 18,885 feet after 53 hours of climbing over a nine day stretch.
“I went through cancer and everything and this might be one of the toughest things I’ve ever done in my entire life,” Conners said. “But we did it. I couldn’t have done it without everyone on my team, they all pushed me.”
Conners referred to the momentous journey as “out of this world” and “incredibly intense” though somehow finding the strength to never give up.
Today, Conners reunited with his service dog, Lang, his mother, and the rest of his family.
“It’s what I’ve been waiting for,” he said. “That’s what I was most excited for – to have my dog run up to me and tackle me like he did and then to see my mom, who didn’t have all the contact the whole time, but she’s been with me the entire way. She’s my rock in so many ways, she never left my side. I wouldn’t be here without her.”
Conners spent months training for the big journey, many times logging a 12-13 hour workout day with local personal trainer Leroy Collins, who Betsy said made the entire trek possible.
“There was a day really where we didn’t think Tim would even walk. When he came home, he couldn’t get off the couch, his father and I had to lift him. He was in a wheelchair, then a walker. We had to start from scratch all over again. So, everyone is just in awe of Tim and all he has accomplished,” Betsy said.
In Africa, Conners and his team were led up the mountain by K2 Adventures co-owner, Kevin Cherilla whose summit with Conners marked his 30th time standing atop Mount Kilimanjaro.
Conners awaited his unique nickname that is sure to come with each adventure and laughingly found his byname to be “Polar Bear” for the immense amount of blonde chest hair he sported with his father rightfully falling suit as “Papa Bear.”
Cherilla led Tim, his uncle, his father, Mike Conners and the rest of his team to the summit point as Tim finally realized his goal to fearlessly tackle Mount Kilimanjaro.
Tim Conners and his team stand together at the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa.
“It’s just amazing to watch what he’s been through,” said Tim’s father, Mike. “He was fighting different issues all the way up the mountain so he definitely had to fight more than the average person to get through. He really did great.”
Mike and Tim explained that while most people may assume being blind would be the biggest obstacle he faced, residual effects of cancer treatments including adrenal failure and issues stemming from former heart, lung, and kindey failure would prove to be big hurdles on their journey.
To summit Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest free standing mountain in the world, is no small feat. When considering some of these significant physical disadvantages that could deter Tim’s success, the likelihood to tackle such an accomplishment is only lessened.
However, for Tim Conners nothing is impossible, a mantra he feels so drawn to that he entitled his recently published book, “It’s Impossible Until You Do It.”
“It was always up to Tim. There was probably 4 or 5 times we all looked around and thought, this might be where we end it. But Tim kept proving us all wrong,” Mike recalled.
Ultimately, they pushed their way to the top, a feeling Mike described as “astronomical, beautiful, and unbelievable” and a feat that left Tim speechless.
To stand together at the top, sightless or not, left both Conners men with an immense feeling of pride.
“He was so proud of me because we’ve been through so much as a family together,” Tim said of his father as he became overcome with emotion. “To be there seven years ago and him to tell me ‘you have cancer’ to us standing at the top of the highest mountain in Africa, what a journey it’s been.”
For both Mike and Tim, it’s promised to be a moment they will remember for the rest of their lives.
Conners received a life-threatening T-Cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma cancer diagnosis in his freshman year of high school at the age of 15.
The young student athlete’s life quickly became one he could barely recognize full of hospitals, treatments, painful setbacks, and eventually a year in isolation.
The cancer had begun attacking his optic nerves. As this became immediate priority, just before he turned 16, Conners was wheeled to surgery in attempt to salvage what was left of his eye sight.
“It was hard. As all his friends were getting permits, he was going blind,” Betsy recalled.
Waking up from surgery, he discovered he would now have to adjust to living in a sightless world.
Though blind, Conners remained grateful that he was able to do just that, live.
He received the bone marrow transplant he needed from the perfect match found in his older brother as his mothers says “the stars aligned.”
From there, through positivity, strength, and perseverance, and with the help of his family, and several doctors and organizations along the way, after a scary and sometimes unsure recovery, he finally reached remission.
From that point on, Conners vowed to tackle the world as a blind young man with a new vision of life.
MounTimPossible is Conners’ mission to give back to organizations he personally feels saved his life, to help those organizations offer the same life-saving opportunities to others who may find themselves battling a life threatening illness or disability.
He is raising funds for No Barriers USA, The Joe Andruzzi Foundation, The Upstate Golisano Children’s Hospital, and The Michael Napoleone Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Simultaneously, Conners hopes his mission can inspire people across the globe to see past any barriers that may stand in their way and find the strength to “redefine possible.”
“I’m gonna keep raising (money)” Conners said, adding that his fundraiser will remain open until August 31. “It took us 53 hours to get up there, if we had 10,000 people donate $53 we would crush our goal and help so many children. That’s what I really wanted for this mission was to help other people like I had been helped because they deserve just as many chances and opportunities to succeed as I had.”
To read more on the MounTimPossible mission or to donate to the cause, visit MounTimPossible.com.
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Congrats Tim, Great job.