Blind lawyer and boss take on 24 peaks in 24 hours

Being tethered to your "grumpy" boss for a whole day might be challenge enough for some.

But London lawyer Michael Smith, 33, who is registered blind and has 10% vision, is bringing his boss Jack Stacey, 38, along for the ultimate team-builder as the pair climb 24 mountain peaks in 24 hours.

Together, they are aiming to cover at least 28 miles (45km), while ascending a total of 12,000ft (3.7km).

Their challenge aims to raise £150,000 for the SeeAbility charity.

The challenge will see them take on nine peaks on 7 September, followed by another 15 peaks the next day.

Throughout, Mr Stacey, senior vice president at Revantage Real Estate, will provide sighted guiding and support for Mr Smith, who is principal legal counsel at the firm.

"He will be my eyes," said Mr Smith, from Finsbury Park in north London.

"I will be reliant on him every step of the way.

“I don’t have much usable vision and haven’t got any depth perception, so Jack will be planting his feet on the ground and then telling me where to plant mine."

He added: “Jack and I have a symbiotic relationship, we’re used to working in tandem with one another, and I trust him wholeheartedly.

"I’m bringing morale, as Jack can be quite grumpy.

"I’ll be like a 24-hour podcast. We’re a bit like Shrek and Donkey.”

At 19, Mr Smith and his twin brother Dan lost the majority of their sight very quickly because of a rare disease called Leber’s Optic Neuropathy, an inherited condition that affects the optic nerve and causes sight loss in the centre of the field of vision.

"The experience was so frightening and all-encompassing and that’s how I imagine this challenge will feel," said Mr Smith.

For his boss, the challenge is also deeply personal.

When his brother Matty was born prematurely, the oxygen that saved his life caused him to lose his sight.

Matty now lives in Wellington, Somerset, where he has been supported by SeeAbility for 24 years.

“We believe passionately that this isn’t just about scaling mountains," he said.

"This is about challenging what we expect from life."

• LHON is a maternally-inherited genetic disease caused by a mutation in the mitochondrial DNA
• It affects 1 in 30,000 people - about 2,000 in England
• LHON usually starts with blurring of central vision in one or both eyes
• The onset of symptoms is usually followed by rapid progression to blindness
• Not everyone who is a carrier of LHON will lose their sight or develop symptoms
• Male carriers of LHON are four to five times more likely to lose their vision than female carriers

Source: NHS England, Prof Patrick Yu Wai Man

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