Side quest: Co-authoring with a 9/11 hero
“Post traumatic, to me, is not a stigma. And while it’s very real and to be taken very seriously, it means you’ve been through something. And no, you’re not going to be the same person you were, but if you want to be, you can be a better person.”
— John Feal, 9/11 responder and healthcare activist
I can finally talk about what I’ve been up to since I went dark last summer…
Earlier this month, I turned in the draft of a book I’ve been working on as a co-author since last February.
This project has taken up all my words over the past year and all my free time when I’m not training. I’m stoked to finally announce it.
I Will Follow You Anywhere: A Comedian, a Responder, and the Fight for 9/11 Healthcare By John Feal with Charles Daly comes out in September 2026, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.
In this gripping, no-f*cks-given memoir, John Feal and co-author Charles Daly tell the story of a reluctant real-life superhero who took on Congress and won.
John Feal's destiny was forged by steel when an 8,000-pound beam landed on his foot during the cleanup at Ground Zero. Recovery from the wound and subsequent gangrene was slow and agonizing.
As John learned to live with partial amputation and a head full of trauma, he watched his fellow 9/11 responders suffer and die from cancer and other ailments linked to the dust at Ground Zero.
They were told the air was safe.
They trusted the healthcare system.
They were forgotten by lawmakers who had promised to #NeverForget.
With the help of an A-lister turned sidekick and friend, The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, Feal organized a gonzo grassroots lobbying effort that fought relentlessly for two decades to pass and defend the 9/11 healthcare bill.
Feal has gone on to mentor a new generation of activists--on issues ranging from burn pits to puppy mills--in this DIY, profanity-laced approach to the ground game of representative government.
This is a manual for activists and a portable memorial to the 9/11 responders who spoke truth to power with their dying breath.
For updates on the book and episodes from my new podcast, follow my reading list: .
P.S. When I’m not having adventures, I’m helping other people write about theirs. If you or someone in your circle has an amazing story to tell, I'd love to hear it. I have some availability for new ghostwriting and editing projects.
— Charlie
Kokatat is the official gear sponsor of The Lap.
The lap will be fueled by Resilient Nutrition’s Long Range Fuel and bars.
CH Marine will be providing a VHF radio and other safety equipment.
Camp kit and cooking gas provided by Paddle & Pitch. Trolley by KCS. REAL Field Meals at a discount from Adventure.ie. Baselayers from GreatOutdoors.ie. Expedition coffee by 3fe.
Cannot wait to read this memoir 👏 John sounds like such a character and I bet you learned a ton about the human condition through working on this project!