Blinded and severely burnt in an explosion in Afghanistan aged 20, Paul Jacobs spent years in rehabilitation, enduring operation after operation.
Nearly 15 years on, he is showing the world that his disability is no obstruction to his vision of raising £100,000 for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity, by climbing ten of the highest mountains on each continent, finishing with Everest (Sagarmatha) in 2027.
Called Project Eye Believe, it is the brainchild of Paul Jacobs and SSAFA Fundraising Officer Richard “Frenchy” French, who is also an Army veteran who was blinded in one eye.
With typical military dark humour, the slogan for the fundraiser is “10 Mountains, 7 Continents, 2 Veterans, 1 eye”.
Paul was awarded the George Medal for his bravery in Afghanistan when he tried to save his colleagues, two of whom died in the same blast that took his eyesight.
Paul and Frenchy climbed Snowdon on the weekend of October 14 as the first summit on their four year adventure.
They summited via the Pyg Track in three hours and 34 seconds, which is faster than the average sighted person’s ascent time.
Speaking of his climb, an exuberant Paul said:
“This is a great day. I feel exhilarated to start on this project. I want to let anyone with a disability know that you can still follow your dreams. It is hard work.
"Every step is harder than it would be if I could see, but here I am, at the top of a mountain, feeling the wind on my face.”
Paul and Frenchy were joined by a crowd of supporters who walked with them. They took the Pyg track up the mountain and the Llanberis path on the way down.
Paul explained that he takes Richard’s verbal guidance when the terrain gets particularly challenging, such as rocks and boulders, or there is uneven ground to navigate.
He commented that Yr Wyddfa was a more complicated climb than recent training ascents he had made in the Alps because of obstacles and loose gravel as opposed to smooth snow.
Frenchy added:
“Snowdon is the first mountain I have led Paul up and it went really well. Paul is such an inspiration. He has been through so much, but his determination shines through. That he is raising funds for SSAFA to help other veterans, well that’s just like him… he’s a legend.”
The next mountain to test this intrepid pair is Morocco’s Mount Toubkal, the highest mountain in North Africa, in February 2024.
If you are interested in helping Paul reach his fundraising target for SSAFA, please visit: https://givestar.io/gs/PaulJacobsGM and for more details of the project: www.pauljacobsgm.com
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