I'm Alive

Courage, Hope, and a Miracle
By Duke Pieper, By Jim Bruton, Foreword by Lou Nanne

BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY

240 Pages, 6 x 9

Formats: Trade Paper, EPUB, Mobipocket, PDF

Trade Paper, $14.95 (CA $16.95) (US $14.95)

ISBN 9781629371351

Rights: WOR

Triumph Books (Oct 2015)

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9781629371351

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Overview

The personal account of a promising high school hockey player who survived brain surgery and months of rehabilitation, infections, and temporary paralysis An aspiring hockey star at Minnesota's elite Hill-Murray School, 15-year-old Duke Pieper faced a brain surgery with a five percent survival rate. In I'm Alive: Courage, Hope, and a Miracle, Duke recounts his personal and courageous war against the brain lesion that threatened his life and his fearless battle to restore normalcy to his life. Battling through months of paralysis, multiple surgeries, massive nerve damage, and more, Duke had to relearn how to breathe, swallow, walk, talk, and live again. This inspiring young man shares how his strength and adaptation to his disabilities inspired him to build a platform to assist others who have succumbed to monumental loss. I'm Alive is a heartwarming, wonderful acclaim to a young man who never gave up, and who has become an iconic inspiration to all who know him.

Author Biography

Duke Pieper was a highly regarded defenseman at Minnesota's Hill Murray School in 2008 when a lesion that caused bleeding in the brain suddenly ended his hockey career. Against overwhelming odds, Pieper survived and is now a student at Bowling Green State University and a Student Coach for the Falcons hockey team. He divides his time between Edina, Minnesota, and Bowling Green, Ohio. Jim Bruton is the author of several books, including and The Big House, Gopher Glory, A Tradition of Purple, and We Love Our Twins, and cowrote autobiographies Best Seat in the House with Mark Rosen, Every Day Is Game Day with Fran Tarkenton, and A Passion to Win with Lou Nanne. He lives in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Lou Nanne captained the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the United States Olympic hockey teams and had a remarkable tenure as player, coach, general manager, and president of the Minnesota North Stars. He lives in Edina, Minnesota.

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Book Signings

By Duke Pieper with Jim Bruton / Foreword by Lou Nanne

Contact: Samantha Frontera, Triumph Books, 312.324.4224, s.frontera@triumphbooks.com

In 2008, high school freshman Duke Pieper was poised to start as a varsity player on the prestigious Hill-Murray High School varsity hockey team. The Hill-Murray hockey program is considered one of, if not the best, in the nation with an unparalleled history of success. With this recognition as a standout hockey player at such a young age, Pieper dreamed of going on to play

in the National Hockey League. However, he never got the chance to take the ice as a defenseman. Before the first game began, he experienced headaches and vision problems. He soon learned that his symptoms were a result of a lesion that was causing bleeding in his brain.

Doctors informed him that his condition would require surgery—a surgery that 95% of patients do not survive. If he did survive, he would face possible paralysis. His dreams and spirit were certainly dashed as he came to realize that he would never play hockey again.

Pieper survived his first surgery as well as multiple additional risky surgeries on his brain and spine. Even after the surgeries, his love for hockey remained strong, and he truly could not fathom living without it. I’m Alive: Courage, Hope, and a Miracle, by Duke Pieper with Jim Bruton (Triumph Books, 2015), tells an inspirational story of how a young man, whose life was forever changed, not only survived but learned to thrive. Inspirational details in this book include:

How Pieper relearned basic motor skills, from walking, running, balancing, breathing, eating, drinking and swallowing to writing and coloring
Exclusive interviews with coaches, teachers and others who know Duke Pieper well
Pieper’s experience dropping the puck in front of 18,000 fans at Xcel Energy Center
Fifteen strategies for survival that could be helpful to just about anyone going through a difficult time

Inspirational, encouraging and miraculous, I’m Alive takes you on a journey that young athlete Duke Pieper faces with incredible courage. This title is perfect for somebody looking for inspiration on overcoming adversity.

About the Authors:

Duke Pieper is a student at Bowling Green State University, working toward a degree in sports management with a minor in entrepreneurship. He is also a volunteer student coach with the Falcon hockey team, attending practices and games, watching videos, sitting in on team meetings and compiling stats for the coaching staff.

Jim Bruton is the author of several books, including A Tradition of Purple, Gopher Glory, We Love Our Twins and The Big House. He also co-wrote the following biographies: Every Day Is Game Day with Fran Tarkenton, A Passion to Win with Lou Nanne and Best Seat in the House with Mark Rosen, and I Did It My Way with Bud Grant. Bruton holds a master's degree from the University of St. Thomas and is an adjunct faculty member at several colleges and universities in the Twin Cities.

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