Mama River Whispers, a Poem by Dean Hall

Dean Hall, Mama River Whispers Poem from Kyle Huber on Vimeo.

“There are two ways to live life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is a miracle.” -Albert Einstein. At the time Dean heard this quote he was down to 145 pounds, the biggest things on him were his lymph nodes. He was dying. But at that moment he decided to try it out.

In 2014, against his doctors’, family and friends’ wishes he got into a public pool and started swimming. Dean became the first man to swim the entire length of the Willamette River, (187 miles) as an active cancer patient. 23 days, 40-degree water, 10-12 hours a day. His hope was to leave his daughter with a legacy of hope and courage and to let other cancer patients know that a diagnosis is not a death sentence.

As Dean said recently on The Adventure Creator Podcast episode #11, “The good thing about being broken is that you’re broken wide open.” The most difficult challenges we face make us who we are. Dean picked up the pieces and put himself back together. His story is a testament to humans’ capacity to heal.

Working with Dean and Olivia Leigh Nowak on this project has been energizing and inspiring. Stories are powerful, especially when you get to know the people behind them. Now, that hard part of actually executing our vision begins 🙂