A Newmarket father has launched a book about his life with Cystic Fibrosis, written as a tribute to his children in case he didn’t survive to see them grow up.
Luke Peters wasn’t expected to live past his teens after being diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) aged 13 months,
However, now aged 48, the father-of-two has made it through a risky double lung operation.
The book detailing his life experiences has gained backing from the UK’s leading charity for the condition, the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
MORE: Dad launches crowdfunder to publish book he wrote for his children
“I’ve been writing this book for two years now and to see it finish is fantastic,” he said.
“It kept me going through some of the toughest things I have faced.
“It has also been there as a means of therapy at the hardest time of my life.”
Luke feared he could die on the waiting list for the transplant and desperately recorded everything about his life with the disease, so his young children would still know him if he didn’t make it.
He was first put on the list in 2017, after his health deteriorated and he was forced to stop working as a lawyer for a London firm.
Fortunately, the operation in May 2019 was successful and the dad was able to make a full recovery.
“It was only ever an idea to leave behind for my children like a long letter,” he added.
“But now it’s taken on a life of its own.
“It’s not just a book for people with CF but for anyone with chronic illness or who is facing hardships.
“There’s an overwhelming sense of positivity in the book and I hope the message it conveys is to keep picking yourself up and move on with life, because there are good things just around the corner.”
A crowdfunder was launched earlier this year to raise the cash needed for Luke to publish his book.
£3,183 was donated over just six months and 20% of all proceeds from the book will be donated to CF-related charities.
The foreword of ‘Coughing It All Up - Chronicles of a Remarkable Life Despite Cystic Fibrosis’ has been written by one of the world’s leading CF medical experts and has been backed by several others.
The book is now available to buy on Amazon in both hardback or as an e-book.
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