Simon was the youngest of 11 children, born into an Old Order Amish family, after losing his mother while he was very young, his future looked grim, somehow though, he was able to overcome many of the obstacle's life threw at him. When he was a teenager, he decided the Amish way of life wasn't for him, at the age of 18, he made his first unsuccessful attempt at leaving, at the age of 22, he made his final break, and enlisted in the U.S. Coast guard. Simon had many challenges to overcome in life, but in the end, he had two successful careers, this is his story, and the heavy price he paid for his freedom.