Peter Le understands suffering.

His dramatic story begins in a childhood marked by polio and a flight from war-torn Vietnam as one of the thousands of “boat people” who immigrated to the United States in the 1980s. But Le says his greatest trial—and most profound joy—began in the fall of 2018 when he learned he had thyroid cancer.

In My Life of Grace, he offers a practical yet deeply personal exploration of redemptive suffering and how we can uniquely enter into the Passion of Christ by embracing our trials so we can persevere in grace and hope.

“The greatest grace that God can give someone is to send him a trial he cannot bear with his own powers—and then sustain him with his grace so he may endure to the end and be saved.”

Le says this quote attributed to St. Justin Martyr defines his life.

Throughout his continued battle with thyroid cancer—years of pain, multiple treatments, surgeries, medications, and visits to numerous doctors and cancer centers—Le’s confusion and hopelessness were overtaken by excitement, hope and awe. He realized that he was receiving God’s consolation.

Le considers himself blessed—and that’s why he calls himself “Graceman.”

Without glossing over the realities of his suffering, Le shares lessons he learned in the “school of suffering, including new life is possible in Christ, allowing us to share not only in the Cross but also in the glory of the Resurrection. He also challenges us to embrace our own pain as a conduit of grace.

The book includes a special novena to Our Lady of La Vang, the patroness of Vietnam, who consoles her children in their suffering.

Peter Le is a Vietnamese Catholic who is executive director and founder—with his wife, Dr. ThuHuong Trinh—of St. Joseph Primary Care, a nonprofit medical clinic that provides health care services in line with Church teaching.

Born during the Vietnam War, Le came to the United States as a thirteen-year-old polio survivor among the “boat people” of the 1980s. Diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2018, Le has dedicated his life to sharing his story with those overwhelmed by suffering and hardship.

Le earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from the University of Houston in 1995. He previously worked as a software developer and IT analyst for Duke Cancer Institute and as a medical education specialist for Harvard Medical School.