Our son, Luke, has been diagnosed with an extremely rare heart condition, Restrictive Cardiomyopathy, and the only known cure is a heart transplant. Minimal research is being done to find a cure less invasive than a heart transplant.

 

Transforming Luke’s journals into a series of books is our best chance to raise funds and awareness for research to find a cure for Restrictive Cardiomyopathy.

 

On January 25, 2003, my mom gave me a journal as a gift when she heard the fantastic news, my wife Tina and I are expecting our first child. The more I wrote, the more I felt compelled to continue writing. Ten and a half years later, I have a collection of eight journals containing daily entries about my son Luke’s life and adventures since his mom was four weeks and five days pregnant.

 

The first book covers journal entries from January 25, 2003 through November 17, 2010, the day Luke was diagnosed with Restrictive Cardiomyopathy. We plan to continue converting Luke’s journals into more books; the second book will be journal entries from November 18, 2010 through the first day of middle school. And should Luke continue to let me journal his life’s adventures, we will continue the series.

 

My hope is that you will enjoy reading Luke’s journal. Expecting parents will find helpful real-life examples of child development. For fans of reality shows, life does not get any more real than this. Medical professionals in the cardiology field may discover this story of a child born with Restrictive Cardiomyopathy is very helpful in understanding how the disease can affect a life. For transplant recipients such as Luke’s mom, Tina, who is 22 years post-heart transplant, this book is sure to inspire. Some entries are short, some are a bit long. Some may be boring, while others I hope are captivating. I am leaving nothing out, choosing to include everything as it happened for the sake of honesty and reality.

 

Happy Reading!