HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Capt. Derek Adametz, USN (RET) joins Coast Live to discuss "Unbreakable Wings," his new memoir that reflects on his journey facing cancer as a naval aviator, and what it taught him about resilience.
Excerpt from a press release from the book's publisher, Ballast Books:
Written by debut author and retired Navy Captain Derek Adametz, this memoir shares a deeply personal journey of resilience, from the sky to the hospital bed and back again.
Born and raised outside of Madison, Wisconsin, Derek worked the family farm by day and dreamed of flying by night. That dream became reality when he became a naval aviator.
But just months into his first assignment, Derek was grounded by a diagnosis that changed everything: Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“This isn’t a book about being a hero. It’s a book about being human. It’s about failing, fighting, falling apart, and still finding a way to get back up,” says Adametz. “If there’s one thing I hope readers take away, it’s this: Even when everything feels impossible, it’s still worth trying.”
Told with unflinching honesty, warmth, and a touch of humor, Unbreakable Wings chronicles the highs and lows of fighting to regain control when everything seems lost.
It’s a powerful reflection on faith, grit, identity, and the quiet strength it takes to keep showing up.
