Ollie: The Inspiring Story of a Special Child

Stephen Venables, one of the world's most respected mountaineers and a prize-winning author, has written his most compelling book. It is the extraordinary account of his young son Ollie's ten year long struggle to overcome severe autism, leukemia and the brain tumor that eventually took his life at age 12. Autism-now referred to in the medical literature as Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) because of the wide range in severity of symptoms and distinct subtypes-can strike any family. Ollie's case proved to be exceptionally difficult because of the two forms of cancer that he also battled, always with great courage and almost completely devoid of complaint. Beyond the great value of adding to our knowledge about one family's encounter with this perplexing disease, anyone who has lost a child or a grandchild-as my wife and I have-can take solace from the story of this remarkable, courageous, lovely boy. Though I previously knew about the unbearably sad outcome, I was not prepared for the tears that streamed down my cheeks when I read the penultimate chapter. In the end, Stephen Venables has graced all of us with this wonderful tribute, not only to Ollie's life and memory, but also to his magnificent wife Rosie who was unrelenting in her 24/7 campaign to make a better life for her son.

I ordered 'Ollie' through the local bookstore and finally had it delivered to me last week. Picked it up and devoured it until late last night, 2 am when I finished the epic tale. I was lying on the sofa in the living room (good thing, so my wife couldn't hear me crying). Veneables writes beautifully and Ollie's story is poignantly told without at all being sentimental or cloying. It is humbling to know what Stephen Venables and his family have all been through, a twelve-year family expedition that completely overshadows any mountain climb. He deserves all the accolades for this wonderful work of literature written from the heart. Well done!

"Ollie: the inspiring story of a special child" is about a boy who was diagnosed as autistic at two, found to have leukaemia a couple of years later, and who, after years of remission, was then found to have a fatal brain tumour, and who died aged 12 in October 2003. Stephen and his wife Rosie have a huge capacity for joy (as well as - obviously - for sorrow), an enormous gift for laughter. So this book is essential reading for everyone involved in the care of children with autism, with leukaemia and other cancers, for parents seeking inspiration in solving the particular difficulties they may be facing in bringing up their children. I found it profoundly moving, harrowing, uplifting, at times laugh-out-loud funny, inspiring, humbling. Nothing faintly special-needs worthy; it may be the best thing Stephen has ever written; he's won all sorts of prizes for various of his mountaineering books. This one shows the humanity of the man like no other. Ollie dances his way through the pages of the book, showing us all that autism and special needs do not mean doom and gloom every day of the week. Stephen is heart-breakingly frank about the effects of autism, illness, allergy and exhaustion on everyone else in the family. There's another thing - you have a real sense of Ollie as a person, with his own talents, wishes and desires, not just a "problem" which has to be solved, a "difficulty" to be managed. Ollie climbs daringly, Ollie listens to music, Ollie is as mischievous as any other young boy, Ollie's smile lights up the room. I couldn't put it down until I finished it, and, several weeks later, I still find myself going back to find and re-read paragraphs.