Andy Lipman, who has cystic fibrosis, is 37 years old, the current median life expectancy for people with the disease. However, Lipman’s life expectancy now far exceeds the expected.
In 2000, Lipman established an annual charity softball tournament benefiting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The event honors the memory of his sister, who died of cystic fibrosis in infancy. Lipman’s experiences dealing with CF inspired him to write Alive at 25: How I’m Beating Cystic Fibrosis in 2001.
Lipman, a certified Toastmaster speaker, was chosen as the finale conference speaker of the Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities Center at CDC. He was selected to run with the Olympic Torch for the 2002 Olympic Games for his work with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and received the Excellence in Community Service Award from the NBC affiliate in Atlanta in 2006. More recently, he was interviewed for a piece called Living with a Disability on WABE radio, and featured in articles in the “Dunwoody Crier”, “Jewish Georgian”, and “400 Edition” magazine.
Lipman’s novel, A Superhero Needs No Cape, was published in 2006. Centered on a boy’s dream of playing major league baseball, the story is an uplifting message to young adults and teenagers about the power of hard work, determination and positive attitude.
His recently completed the manuscript for The Drive at 35, which is scheduled for release later this year, chronicles his journey of discovery in the methods for beating cystic fibrosis mentally as well as physically, and shares his vision for living positively, contributing to the community at large and attaining seemingly elusive goals.
