People are the Answer

In episode 3, Andy and Jeffrey dug into Andy’s fight to conquer Cystic Fibrosis, books he’s written, love of sports, running with the Olympic torch, and more...

Follow Andy and The CF Warrior Project on Twitter: @CFWarriorProj; Instagram: @CFWarriorProject;TikTok: @cf_warrior_project ; and Facebook: Andy-Lipman. Check out Andy’s website at cfwarriorproject.org.

Andy Lipman has cystic fibrosis, but cystic fibrosis will never have him. On his 38th birthday, Andy passed the current median life expectancy for people with cystic fibrosis (CF). At 48, his life expectancy now exceeds the expected. Andy is a positive role model who defied all odds to become a college graduate, Olympic-torch bearer, runner, advocate, author, husband, and father. He is dedicated to finding a cure for this genetic disease.

Andy’s fourth book, The CF Warrior Project: 65 Stories of Triumph Against Cystic Fibrosis, celebrates the people from around the globe who, like him, persevere and live life the fullest every day even though they have a terminal, invisible disease. The book is available on Amazon and other booksellers. Andy is currently working on a second installment of The CF Warrior Project.

The CF Warrior Project is more than a book, it is a movement. Andy, in fact, appeared on The Today Show to discuss his story along with the movement. Andy has two written memoirs telling his story battling the long odds of a CF diagnosis: Alive at 25: How I’m Beating Cystic Fibrosis and The Drive at 35: The Long Road to Beating Cystic Fibrosis. In addition, he wrote A Superhero Needs No Cape about a young person who grows up wanting to play Major League Baseball, but he must do so while fighting cystic fibrosis.

Not just relating stories of survivors, Andy is also dedicated to finding a cure for this terminal disease. He founded the Wish for Wendy Foundation in memory of his older sister, who died from CF after only 16 days of life. In 2017, Andy was the recipient of the Alex Award presented by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. As of 2021, Wish for Wendy has contributed more than $4.5 million to help raise awareness for cystic fibrosis and fund research for a cure.

Andy has spoken all over the US and in Ireland.

Andy adheres to a rigorous daily workout routine. His fitness accomplishments include: running the 10-km Peachtree Road Race every year since 1997, finishing a triathlon, and completing the difficult 90-day workout program P90X.

In 2006 Andy became a father, a miracle for any male with cystic fibrosis because they are nearly all infertile. The Lipmans’ second child, also conceived with the help of IVF, was born in 2008.

Andy holds a degree from the University of Georgia and serves on the Terry College of Business emeritus board. He also has served on the GA Chapter of the CF Foundation board (the first ever CF patient to do so) and was the corporate sponsorship chair for three years at the National CF Foundation.

Andy currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife Andrea and their two children. He began a breakthrough cystic fibrosis drug called Trikafta in November of 2019 and has since seen his lung function skyrocket to levels he has not seen in more than 25 years.