Mr Simon Reuter

Simon somehow got to the age of fifty, despite his body regularly trying to stop him. He has lived in Bristol all his life, and he loves it. Simon likes nothing more than sitting outside a coffee shop or bar, in a foreign land, watching the world go by. After spending half his adolescence in and out of hospital he chose to continue to be institutionalised by working as a children's nurse for six years, then an adolescent mental health nurse for the past twenty years.

Following an 'interesting' trip to Vladivostok in 2011 he decided to write about living with his many physical conditions. It has taken ten years and has been extremely cathartic.

Emotional, inspirational, and darkly humorous What is life without risk? is the story of growing up with a multitude of illnesses. Born with a major heart condition, suffering a cardiac arrest, and having ground-breaking open-heart surgery all before the age of four, was only the beginning for Simon.

As an adolescent Simon would experience severe eczema, two years of hospital admissions for asthma, and further open-heart surgery. Going into adulthood Simon was diagnosed with the chronic lung condition Bronchiectasis, had a cataract, and repeated episodes of arrhythmia, often requiring medical intervention.

The first half of What Is Life Without Risk? concentrates on how a family copes and manages with the demands of having a child with chronic health issues, and the decisions full of risk those parents must take on a daily basis.

The second half of What Is Life Without Risk? looks at how Simon manages his increasing list of illnesses throughout his adult life. With a determination to take risks and not allow these illnesses to limit his life experiences, Simon discovers and falls in love with travelling. We experience the highs and lows of travelling with chronic health conditions and experience how Simon’s health affects his travels and his travels affects his health.

What Is Life Without Risk? hopes to reassure and inspire the frightened adolescents who are at the start of their journey, and the anxious parents who accompany them.