Blind lawyer and boss to climb 24 peaks in 24 hours tethered together for charity

(left to right) Michael Smith, 33, and 38-year-old Jack Stacy during a training session for tackling 24 peaks in 24 hours at Chiswick Business Park, London.
(Left to right) Michael Smith, 33, and 38-year-old Jack Stacy during a training session for tackling 24 peaks in 24 hours at Chiswick Business Park, London. Credit: PA

Michael Smith will be tethered to his work colleague, Jack Stacy this September as the pair tackle 24 mountain peaks in just 24 hours to raise £150,000 for charity.

Michael lost his sight 15 years ago due to a rare genetic disease called Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON), which causes loss of vision in the central part of the eyes.

Despite having just 10% of his vision remaining, Michael plans to summit the Lake District's mountains this autumn in aid of SeeAbility, the charity who helped to “bring my hopes and dreams back” after being diagnosed with LHON said Michael.

He will rely on his colleague Jack's guidance as the London pair attempt to climb 24 mountains, including England’s tallest peak Scafell Pike.

Michael Smith, 33, and 38-year-old Jack Stacy during a training session at Chiswick Business Park, London. Credit: PA

“In a great way, it’s a metaphor showing people in life that you’ve got all this great technology out there to help people now who can’t see terribly well, but you always need that human touch with you,” said Michael.

“Communication is going to be the greatest challenge involved here, and concentration.”

The challenge will be physically demanding and for Jack explains the hardest part is going to be looking out for both of them "telling him where to park his feet at every moment up and down”.

Michael noticed his vision changing between 2009 and 2010 and Doctors at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London diagnosed him with LHON telling him he would “permanently lose all of the central eyesight in both eyes”.

Michael explained how he feared he would not “live a very fulfilling life going forward” but SeeAbility helped him return to university to study and train to be a lawyer.

“When I first lost my sight, I thought, really, it was curtains,” said Michael.

“I’m not able to independently navigate very well. I’m not able to independently read or see people’s faces, so it had a huge impact on my life,” he added.

“I wasn’t able to pursue the career that I set my sights on, and I went back to the drawing board, and charities like SeeAbility were instrumental in allowing me to really gain some ambition and gain my hopes and dreams back.”

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Michael, who has been a trustee of SeeAbility for one year, wanted to take on the striking challenge to celebrate the charity’s 225th anniversary while raising money.

He hopes his challenge will inspire people who live with sight loss and other disabilities to achieve their ambitions.

“I want to just show, despite my lack of sight, with a bit of help from Jack, I can summit 24 peaks and push my body to the limit like everyone else can,” he said.You can find out more about their fundraiser here.

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