大象传媒 Scotland - 大象传媒 Scotland - 鈥楻acing the world鈥檚 best could help me see my son鈥檚 face again鈥�

鈥楻acing the world鈥檚 best could help me see my son鈥檚 face again鈥�

22 January 2019

When Jay Semple was six years old, he realised he couldn’t see things that glowed in the dark. A specialist misdiagnosed his condition as .

It was only in 2013 that Jay was re-diagnosed with an extremely rare eye condition called . Doctors said there was no way to stop his eyesight from deteriorating.

Within a three-month period, it all but disappeared completely.

Jay has now decided on a path to help him raise awareness of his condition and raise money for alternative treatments outside the UK — by aiming to take part in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

鈥業鈥檓 not giving up; I want to see my boy鈥檚 face again鈥�

Jay Cruz Semple wants to run at the next Paralympics to help his fundraising.

The struggle to find a permanent running guide

Back when his sight wasn’t as affected, Jay competed in taekwondo competitions across the UK.

Since there is no visually impaired category for the martial art at the Paralympics, however, Jay decided to focus on running in the 5000m event.

How do you run the London Marathon with a visual impairment?

Jay hopes that media coverage of his attempts to make it to Tokyo 2020 will help him find a running guide, get his times to a Paralympic standard, and help raise awareness of his plight.

“I can either sit here, be depressed and accept it, or I can be positive and go forward.

“I’m not giving up here. I want to see my little boy’s face again.”