Aron Anderson

Aron Karl Riggert Anderson (born 26 January 1988) is a Swedish adventurer, motivational speaker and athlete. Anderson was the first wheelchair user to summit Sweden's highest mountain, Kebnekaise, and Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Aron Anderson
Anderson in 2014
Born
Aron Karl Riggert Anderson

(1988-01-26) January 26, 1988
Stockholm, Sweden
OccupationAthlete, motivational speaker, adventurer

Biography

In January 1996, Anderson and his parent were told by doctors he had cancer in his lower back.[1] He was treated with chemotherapy and radiation throughout 1996 and early 1997.[2] The treatments did not work, and in late 1997 the cancer was removed surgically, at which time Anderson lost function in both legs.[2][3]

Athletics
Aron Anderson at Vasaloppet in 2015

Aron Anderson became an para-athlete in three different sports, sailing, athletics and sledge-hockey and has participated in four Paralympic Games.[4] Between 1999 and 2005, he competed in sailing, he stopped competing after the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece.[5] He instead started fully competing in athletics and sledge-hockey.[5]

In 2012, he was forced to stop competing in athletics as he had to undergo a hip operation which made it impossible for him to compete at elite level.[6] He also stopped playing sledge-hockey after the World Championships in 2013, to set his mind on only adventures and lecturing.[7]

Adventuring

On 1 August 2013, he was the first wheelchair user to climb to the top of Kebnekaise, Sweden's highest mountain,[6] using crutches and "crawling" with his arms.[3] He is also the first person in a wheelchair to have climbed to the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro.[6] The expedition was led by adventurer Johan Ernst Nilson.[8] He reached the peak at 15.00 (CET) on 1 August 2013.[9] In 2014, he decided to complete a Swedish Classic, in which he competed in and finished the long distance endurance events of Vasaloppet, Vätternrundan, Vansbrosimmet and the Lidingöloppet during one year, this also as the first wheelchair user.[10] On 7 August 2015, he swam in 14 degree water for 37 kilometers over the sea of Åland between Grissleham to Åland, a swim that took him 13 hours to complete.[11] In 2019, Anderson competed in the competition show Vinnarskallar which was broadcast on TV4, where he competed against other Swedish para-athletes.[12] He won the show.[13] He has also skied through Antarctica, a monthlong journey and the first person in a wheelchair to do it.[14][15][16] In December 2018, Anderson joined with singer Peg Parnevik to be ambassadors for Musikhjälpen which was broadcast on SVT and on radio for Sveriges Radio.[17]

Anderson works as a motivational speaker.[18][19] He is also an ambassador for Barncancerfonden, a children's cancer foundation, and has through his adventures also helped to raise money for the cause.[20][15] In 2017, Anderson presented an episode of the radio show Sommar i P1, speaking about his struggles and successes in life.[21][22]

References
  1. "Patients acting as consumers, demanding more ease, better tools". MobiHealthNews. 25 April 2019. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  2. "Aron Andersson tar rullstolen med sig till toppen". Lokalnytt. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  3. McCoy, Jenny (27 November 2017). "How Paralyzed Adventurer Aron Anderson Climbs Mountains". mensjournal.com. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  4. Lindblad, Anders (24 April 2004). "Aron tillhör världseliten – i tre idrotter". SvenskaDagbladet. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2019 – via www.svd.se.
  5. TT. "Från Paralympics till Lilla Sportspegeln". Göteborgsposten. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  6. Radio, Sveriges. "Aron Anderson – Sommar & Vinter i P1". Sveriges Radio. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  7. "Östersund arrangerar kälkhockey-VM – Svenska Handikappidrottsforbundet". Svenska Handikappidrottsförbundet. 26 May 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  8. "Aron bestiger Europas högsta berg – i rullstol". Nyheter24. 3 July 2014. Archived from the original on 20 May 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  9. "Här är fem saker du vill veta om idrottaren Aron Anderson". Nyheter24. 5 March 2019. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  10. "Klassikern under 24 timmar – i rullstol". Runner's World. 29 September 2014. Archived from the original on 6 May 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  11. "Aron Anderson simmade till Åland – ICA Hälsa". ICA.se. Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  12. "Aron Anderson om cancern och att aldrig ge upp – Vinnarskallar – tv4.se". tv4.se. Archived from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  13. Här koras vinnaren av Vinnarskallar Retrieved 9 June 2019
  14. Radio, Sveriges. "Aron Anderson the first person to reach the South Pole in a wheelchair – Radio Sweden". Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  15. Glusac, Elaine (25 September 2017). "Wheelchair Racer Aron Anderson Has Another Mountain to Climb". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 31 March 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019 – via NYTimes.com.
  16. Staff, Our Foreign (22 December 2016). "Swedish man claims to be first to reach South Pole in a wheelchair after 300km trek". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2019 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  17. Radio, Sveriges. "Peg Parnevik och Aron Anderson är årets ambassadörer – Musikhjälpen". Sverigesradio. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  18. "Strategic Tech Coaching: EP – 32 Aron Anderson adventurer, speaker and entrepreneur". strategictechcoaching.libsyn.com. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  19. Föreläsare Aron Anderson laraforlivet.se Retrieved 9 June 2019
  20. "Facebook-klick hjälpte Aron att dra in 246 000 kronor till Barncancerfonden". Barncancerfonden. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  21. Radio, Sveriges. "This year's Sommar radio hosts announced – Radio Sweden". Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
  22. Radio, Sveriges. "Aron Anderson – Sommar & Vinter i P1". Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
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