NATIONAL BESTSELLER • DAVID FAJGENBAUM NAMED TO THE 2025 TIME100 NEXT LIST
“An extraordinary memoir that belongs with Atul Gawande’s writings and
When Breath Becomes Air.
”—Adam Grant,
New York Times
bestselling author of
Originals
When a young doctor is diagnosed with a rare disease, he spearheads the search for a cure—and becomes a champion for a new approach to medical research.
David Fajgenbaum, a former Georgetown quarterback, was nicknamed the Beast in medical school, where he was also known for his unmatched mental stamina. But things changed dramatically when he began suffering from inexplicable fatigue. In a matter of weeks, his organs were failing and he was read his last rites. Doctors were baffled by his condition, which they had yet to even diagnose.
Miraculously, Fajgenbaum survived—only to endure repeated near-death relapses from what would eventually be identified as a form of Castleman disease, an extremely deadly and rare condition that acts like a cross between cancer and an autoimmune disorder. Realizing that the medical community was unlikely to make progress in time to save his life, Fajgenbaum turned his desperate hope for a cure into concrete action: Between hospitalizations he looked for clues that could unlock a new treatment and reached out to other Castleman disease patients and physicians. Instead of waiting for the scientific stars to align, he would attempt to align them himself.
More than five years later and now married to his college sweetheart, Fajgenbaum has seen his hard work pay off: A treatment he identified has induced a tentative remission and his novel approach to collaborative scientific inquiry has become a blueprint for advancing rare disease research. His incredible story demonstrates the potency of hope, and what can happen when the forces of determination, love, family, faith, and serendipity collide.