COMING UP IN ROTARY
Brain cancer, brain tumor, inoperable– -all words that make you only think of something negative but Duke has turned those words into a positive. He has never given up, not once. He hasn’t given up fighting and he never gave up on his passion for his education or his love for hockey. Pieper was a student at Hill-Murray High School as a varsity defenseman when he realized something was quite wrong before his first game. That is when he found out that he had a brain bleed and his whole life would change from that day forward.
Duke has recently published a book, I’m Alive. All of the proceeds from his book go directly to his foundation. Pieper’s journey is a story that every single person should hear, read, and know. It is through his words that during the darkest of times you can feel instantly up-lifted. Currently, Duke still struggles and his battle is ongoing, as a story about that struggle and how he is trying to prevail by going to college, keeping up an active work-out regimen, and trying to be “normal” could truly inspire another person in a similar situation.