Born with a disease that tried to kill me. It handed me my purpose instead.
Sickle cell. Rheumatoid arthritis. Prostate cancer. I survived all three, and I learned something most people never get told: your pain is not the obstacle. It’s the map.
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SURVIVAL OF THE ILLEST
Uncover the Gift of Purpose Wrapped in Pain
I’ve spent my life in hospital beds, infusion chairs, and waiting rooms. I’ve been told what I couldn’t do more times than I can count.
This book is what I found on the other side of all of it. It’s part memoir, part blueprint — my story of being born with sickle cell disease, diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, then prostate cancer, and what I learned about building resilience when quitting isn’t an option.
This isn’t a book about surviving. Surviving is the floor. This is about taking the worst thing that happened to you and turning it into the reason you’re here.
This book is what I found on the other side of all of it. It’s part memoir, part blueprint — my story of being born with sickle cell disease, diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, then prostate cancer, and what I learned about building resilience when quitting isn’t an option.
This isn’t a book about surviving. Surviving is the floor. This is about taking the worst thing that happened to you and turning it into the reason you’re here.
Available September 2026 | Paperback · Ebook · Audiobook
Who I am
I’m François Laporte Jr. I was born with sickle cell disease, a rare blood disorder that turns your own blood against you. Then came rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition. Then prostate cancer.
I’m still here.
I speak, I write, and I advocate for the sickle cell and chronic illness community. I’m a Lived Experience Ambassador, which means I don’t talk about this from a textbook. I talk about it from the inside.
My work is simple. I help people uncover the gift of purpose wrapped in pain — not by pretending the pain isn’t real, but by refusing to let it be the end of the story.
I’m still here.
I speak, I write, and I advocate for the sickle cell and chronic illness community. I’m a Lived Experience Ambassador, which means I don’t talk about this from a textbook. I talk about it from the inside.
My work is simple. I help people uncover the gift of purpose wrapped in pain — not by pretending the pain isn’t real, but by refusing to let it be the end of the story.
Bring this story to your stage
I speak to healthcare organizations, patient advocacy groups, corporate wellness programs, faith communities, and anyone building a culture that has to face hard things.
- Resilience when the diagnosis doesn’t change
- Finding purpose inside chronic illness
- What patients need that the system isn’t giving them
- Turning adversity into direction
Wear it
Hats and tees for people who’ve been through something and came out with a story.
Get Chapter One free.
No spam. Just the chapter, and a note when the book drops.
© 2026 François Laporte Jr. All rights reserved.