“My gift to the world would be to make a cure for all the diseases. I would like to have a cure for diseases because I know they can be a pain in the neck. If I could cure diseases, there wouldn’t be as much suffering and people with diseases could live longer. They could then make contributions to the world.”

Burke Derr, age 11

Burke’s Tour is the amazing biography of a young man from Pennsylvania named Burke P. Derr. His positive attitude and courage in the face of CF has given hope not only to those who knew him but also to an increasingly large number of people worldwide.

Written with never-ending enthusiasm by Burke’s Dad, Bob, this book describes with great honesty and humour Burke’s 18 years of struggle with CF as well as the legacy which Burke left through his love of Boyds teddy bears.

It would take a very hard heart not to shed a few tears at frequent intervals in the first half of this book, which describes the rollercoaster ride of Burke’s 18 years on earth. One moving passage in particular was when Burke, then age 13, phones his Dad to play him his new favorite song, “Fly,” from Celine Dion’s album Falling Into You, written for her niece who died of CF.

Burke's story is also laced with many humorous moments, from Burke carrying a water pistol into hospital in order to squirt unsuspecting nurses, to when Burke is spotted by an elderly woman in a parking lot using his syringe to administer his medication through an implanted device and laughs, "I guess she thinks I'm doing drugs."

2007 marks the 10th birthday of Burke P. Bear, the Boyd’s Collection teddy bear. Gary Lowenthal, founder of the collection, named the bear after Burke P. Derr in 1997 shortly before Burke’s death.

Bob Derr started the “Million Dollar Bear Campaign” to raise money for CF research from sales of Burke P. Bear. Gary Lowenthal supported the campaign, which raised over $50,000 for CF research in its first year.

Massachusetts web retailer Barry Thompson suggested Burke take a world tour as a way to spread the message about CF. He also jokingly offered to be Burke’s tour manager. When the book went to press, Burke P. Bear had toured 38 states and over 12 countries worldwide. He still continues to travel on a regular basis!

The latter half of the book covers Burke’s Tour around the world, showing photos of Burke in many different parts of the globe including in Russia with a Kremlin guard and receiving VIB (Very Important Bear) treatment from the flight attendants at Emirate Airlines.

A Texas journalist aptly nicknamed Burke P. Bear the “Ambassador of Love.” This bear has captured the hearts of thousands of people over the world and is a fitting memorial to Burke P. Derr’s extraordinary hope in the face of CF. This book captures the young boy’s spirit and sends a clear message that death is not an end but instead a transition to something bigger and better.

Burke Bear gets “VIB” treatment from Emirate Airlines

The proceeds from Burke’s Tour book sales will benefit various CF research projects. Please visit the publisher’s website at www.outskirtspress.com/burkestour. Burke P. Bear himself can be purchased from CFW , who will use the funds to build CF clinics in third world countries, where provision for people with CF is minimal. Please visit: http://www.cfww.org/campaigns/ for more information and to order securely online.

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