Hope Fights Back (ePub)

The incredible story of a young woman living with ALS, who defies all odds by finishing fifty marathons and, in turn, inspires people to "go on, be brave."

Andrea Lytle Peet was thirty-three years old—an urban planner living in D.C., newly married, and a triathlete—when she received the death sentence of an ALS diagnosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's disease). After grappling with the fact that she will likely become paralyzed and die within two to five years, Andrea experienced an unexpected spark that changes her outlook in the most magnificent way.

Inspired by Jon Blais, famous for finishing the IRONMAN World Championship while fighting the same disease, Andrea sets an "impossible" goal to become the first person with ALS to complete a marathon in all fifty U.S. states on her recumbent trike—since she is no longer able to run. In her mission, Andrea recaptures the freedom that racing always gave her and inspires others to appreciate what our bodies can do. Her mindset shifts to accepting that although she is dying faster than she might have otherwise, we are all on the same path. Andrea, along with her husband and ALS community, prove that we all have choices in how we spend our precious lives—no matter what challenges we face.

Hope Fights Back chronicles what happens when we choose to live instead of waiting to die. It is a "love letter to life" and a beautiful love story between Andrea and her husband, David. Andrea's words are awe-inspiring for athletes and non-athletes alike. The reader intimately witnesses Andrea's tenacity, determination and bravery, not only in accomplishing her fifty marathons goal, but in her day-to-day life with ALS. In a world where "hope" sometimes feels quiet and aspirational, Andrea reveals that hope is, instead, a valiant warrior that changes everything when it fights back.

In Hope Fights Back, readers will be empowered by Andrea's force as an athlete and a woman fighting the battle of her life. For readers of Until I Say Goodbye, Let Your Mind Run and Between Two Kingdoms, Hope Fights Back is a magnetic and radiant story filled with soul-baring honesty, love and true grit.

A documentary about Andrea's triumphant journey, Go On, Be Brave, will premier at the 2023 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.