Raymond Poole Launches New Book on Wife's Heroic Battle with Cystic Fibrosis and Double-Lung Transplant

Today, Raymond Poole, the recipient of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's Milwaukee's Finest Award 2013 for Young Professional Fundraising and Leadership and the Eaton Stover Volunteerism Award 2014, has confirmed that his brand new publication "Lessons from a CF Cornerman: 38 Lessons I Learned During my Wife's Illness and Lung Transplant" is available now in paperback and on Kindle as a Thanksgiving gift. The book documents Rebecca Poole's brushes with death through 5 transplant center rejections to finally receiving and going through a significant recovery journey from a double-lung transplant, also known as a bilateral transplant.

Cystic fibrosis is a rare genetic disease affecting more than 30,000 people in the United States and around 70,000 people worldwide. Doctors diagnose roughly 1,000 new cases of the condition every year. It is estimated that up to 75% of people living with cystic fibrosis receive a diagnosis by the age of 2, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's U.S. Patient Registry.

"I just really wanted to share everything I learned during my wife's struggles with her health. I hope this book will help those who suffer from serious illness as well as those who are caring for them," expressed, Raymond L. Poole, MBA, Author, Lessons from a CF Cornerman: 38 Lessons I Learned During my Wife's Illness and Lung Transplant. "The context of the story lends weight to the lessons I learned and I feel they can easily be applied to many aspects of life, both in and outside of the hospital."

An Engineering & Product Manager by profession with a Degree in Mechanical and Materials Engineering from the University of Connecticut and an MBA from Indiana University, Raymond sacrificed his work and gave up his job to care for his wife who has demonstrated incomparable strength in the face of a harrowing medical journey. Thankfully, Rebecca received a lifesaving double-lung transplant at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) on Thursday, June 18th, 2015. This book is aimed at individuals, families, and caregivers whose lives have in some way been touched by a serious medical condition. Walking the line between a memoir, medical drama and a self-help book, Lessons from a CF Cornerman has been widely praised in reviews for its candid account of Rebecca's illness laced with humor, pop culture references and many laugh out loud moments.

"Ray gives us "shotgun" on this exhilarating ride through his wife's fearless battle against CF. His love for Rebecca is robust, his humor is refreshing, and his determination is incomparable. Pay attention to his lessons in the back too." Emily Schaller, Founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Rock CF.

"The love and strength that comes through on the pages of A CF Cornerman, is unmistakable. The resilience of pushing to help those we love despite circumstances, through such a difficult journey to breathe and live is so powerful. This book is a must read to help show what true love is capable of when faced with the depths of hell. That becomes strength and pure happiness, from the love of a lifetime - a love we should all strive for," Sandi Alvaro, Cystic Fibrosis Advocate and Blogger of Behind the Smile of a Cystic.

"As I read this book I found myself re-living moments, which made understanding Ray and his wife, Rebecca's situation easy for me to follow. Memories came flooding, the more I read. From a CF perspective, it's easy to relate to because it's what we go through when end-stage starts to take over our bodies. Ray covers what cystic fibrosis is; how we take care of ourselves; our routines; our medications; trials and tribulations - the whole shebang. Ray has a background in martial arts. He understands hard work, training, dedication. Which is what CF life is also all about. Rebecca fought to stay alive against a formidable opponent with a good coach (husband) by her side. It is a great perspective reading about cystic fibrosis, a woman affected by it and having the proper support throughout that battle. I've lived through many of the events Rebecca experienced and I know just how important having a CF Cornerman is. It helps make your battle a WE thing, rather than a ME thing. Going into a fight for your life feels tipped in your favor with a great support system in play," James Cameron, Cystic Fibrosis Trainer.

"Not just for cystic fibrosis, but for any loved one dealing with chronic illness - this is a must-read. Ray captures it all in this book. The ups and downs, the despair, the love, the absurdity. But mostly the resilience of the human spirit, to never give up in the face of overwhelming odds. To show that modern medical miracles are still possible. I can't recommend this book highly enough," Ian Pettigrew, Photographer, and Publisher.

No matter what Rebecca's serious medical condition brought them through over the last 18 years together, Raymond, a 2-time national fighting champion, has had an enduring belief in showing up (Lesson 1: Show Up) to empower enough strength for the Fort Thomas-based couple to make it through every possible hurdle that has crossed their path. Some of the couple's darkest days were around New Year's Eve 2014 when Rebecca suffered serious respiratory failure. Doctors took the decision to place her on a ventilator and instigated a chemically induced coma. She remained on life support for 6 months.

About Raymond Poole:
Raymond Poole is a dedicated husband who has gone to extraordinary lengths to support his wife Rebecca through the rare genetic condition cystic fibrosis and a lifesaving double-lung transplant. Dedicated to his wife's incredible strength, his new book CF Cornerman: 38 Lessons I Learned During my Wife's Illness and Lung Transplant is available now. This Thanksgiving, please support and share Raymond's inspirational true life story by going to Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-CF-Cornerman-Learned-Transplant/dp/0692792104/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478813694&sr=8-1&keywords=cf+cornerman

Other resources include Raymond's website: http://www.cfcornerman.com/

Read Raymond's incredibly real and moving Blog Posts: https://raylpoole.wordpress.com/

Plus, a post penned by Raymond that appears on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's website:
https://www.cff.org/CF-Community-Blog/Posts/2016/Changing-Perspectives-Lessons-of-a-CF-Caregiver/

Join Raymond and Rebecca's vibrant Social Media communities: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccapooleCF/

https://www.facebook.com/CFCornerman/

https://twitter.com/@CFCornerman

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfSa4qTFqjKuaNZm6p0rewA

Media contact information:
Raymond Poole.

Email: CFCornerman(at)Yahoo(dot)com

Tel: 262-366-2885.