Jamie Ward, a 61-year-old Channel 4 employee from East Molesey, Surrey, will be taking part in this year’s Royal Parks Half Marathon to raise money for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) after being diagnosed with a rare genetic disease that saw him lose his sight in both eyes.

Jamie, who is Channel 4 Head of Talent & Learning, went for a routine eye check-up three years ago and noticed a change in prescription. Six weeks later, he was blind in his left eye and diagnosed with Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a tragic condition usually inherited by boys from their mothers which causes blindness in their late teens and early 20s.

Jamie was told that he would lose sight in his right eye within six months. He can now only make out shadows, outlines of shapes and not much else.

Jamie spent the following six months ticking off a ‘vision bucket list’ in which he travelled with his husband of 20 years, Ray, to the four corners of France and to Athens to see the Acropolis, as well as many London art galleries as possible. Jamie recalls, “the last picture I ever saw was Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ in the National Gallery.”

Jamie also spent as much time as he could with his beloved labradoodle, Barlow (“named after Gary, not Ken”), and family and friends, in some cases looking through photos of them, knowing he wouldn’t see them again. It was during this time that Jamie first encountered RNIB, as he realised he needed help as general tasks became more difficult.

“I was determined to carry on working. I have a fabulous job and work with wonderful people. I reached out to RNIB who provided really useful advice and guidance on how to relearn how to use my iPhone; where to go to get long cane training; and provided the occupational assessment so I could get the technology I needed at work. I can now do everything I could do before and have since then even taken on wider responsibilities.”

It’s for this reason that Jamie has signed up alongside his guide runner, Ian Walker, to take part in his first half marathon. Between them they are aiming to raise £10,000 for RNIB to help the charity continue its work.

“Losing your sight is traumatic and you need someone to hold your hand through the process and to give you help, support and advice when you need it. RNIB was there when I needed them and I want to give something back to support others who are coming behind me.”

Running has provided Jamie with an outlet to battle the mental anguish of losing his sight and training for the Royal Parks Half Marathon has given him something to focus his energy on outside of work.

“Walking and running are amazing for your mindset. Running with my friend and guide runner, Ian, has been, not to put too fine a point on it, a lifesaver. Running helped me process the trauma and we talked often about other people’s reactions to sight loss.”

Jamie will take on the event on Sunday 12th October alongside 16,000 other runners, supported on the day by his husband, Ray, and colleagues Libby, Isabella, Matt and Lowri, who are also taking part.
As well as raising vital funds for RNIB, Jamie is hoping to shine a light on the capabilities of blind and partially sighted people and to challenge people’s perceptions.

“With the right support from fantastic organisations like RNIB, blind and partially sighted people can do pretty much anything. I mean, there are some limits: I wouldn’t want a blind dentist or brain surgeon come to that. But most jobs can be made to be accessible. And yet only one in four blind people of working age are in work. That is a shameful statistic. People are mostly very kind but when hiring, they seem to put up barriers against hiring blind people.

“So, my message to everyone when meeting a blind person at work or doing sport: be an ally and break down barriers, don’t put them up.”

Jamie credits his parents and older brother Mark – who is also affected by LHON – for instilling him with a strong work ethic and desire to make the most out of life. He considers himself ‘grateful’ for the opportunities his sight loss has given him, which includes meeting interesting people and taking part in fascinating events and activities that may not have come his way otherwise.

It is that optimistic outlook – coupled with a dry sense of humour – that he wishes to share with others, imparting the following advice to anyone who may be experiencing similar challenges with sight loss: “I have utmost sympathy and understanding for anyone who is going through sight loss who wants to retreat within themselves and stay in a place of safety - let’s call it the sofa. But with the right support you can get off the sofa and get back to doing nearly everything that you did before and more.”

Showcasing that optimism and sense of humour, Jamie responded when asked what challenges may be next for him after he has completed his half marathon journey: “I would like to complete some long-distance walking. I have started the Thames Path and the South West Coast Path in Dorset. The latter is full of cliffs so I will try not to fall off.”

To donate to Jamie’s cause, please visit his fundraising page

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