Alex Pancoe, an Adventurous Spirit, Loses Leukemia Battle While Raising Funds for Lurie Children’s Hospital: ‘A Life Lived to the Fullest’

CHICAGO (WLS) — On Tuesday, a mountain climber from the Chicago area is being honored for his incredible bravery and commitment to aiding others, as he faced leukemia.

Alex Pancoe, 39, passed away during an expedition in the Himalayas, which was meant to generate funds for cancer research. His wife, Nina Pancoe, spoke about his remarkable dedication to helping people and his love for the mountains.

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“He was vibrant and full of life. His passion, kindness, and desire to give back to the community through the climbing he cherished was immeasurable,” Nina said.

Alex was an accomplished mountain climber and Northwestern University graduate who had scaled Everest and Denali, all in an effort to raise money for Lurie Children’s Hospital and cancer research.

“He loved raising money for Lurie Children’s. He was treated for a brain tumor when he was in college. To be able to give back something he loved so much,” Nina said.

Nina says not long ago, they learned Alex’s cancer had returned. But his training for the grueling climbs continued.

“He told me, ‘I’m not going to let cancer stop me. Prove to people no matter what they get in life, you can do it,'” Nina said. “When someone is so passionate about something, you can’t take it away. You have to cheer him on. I was my husband’s biggest cheerleader. I know how happy the mountains made him.”

The day Alex died, Nina says, he had just returned to base after acclimating for the big summit climb of Mount Makalu, the fifth highest mountain in the world. Alex apparently went into cardiac arrest just an hour after Nina spoke to him. They have a 2-year-old son and an infant daughter.

“He said, ‘What scares me is not being there for my kids.’ He loved his kids to the moon and back,” Nina said. “He died in a place he loved; he died doing what he loved. That’s something I have to hold to my heart.”