By Jack Thomson

A VISUALLY impaired Knightswood man determined to take part in the 2020 Paralympic Games is seeking to inspire others who have lost their eyesight.

At 38 years old, Jay Semple’s sight is restricted to hand movements made at eyeline, daylight and occasional moving objects.

The runner has a rare condition called Choroideremia – a form of retinal disease which is characterised by progressive vision loss and mainly affects men.

First diagnosed with the condition in 1995, his sight almost completely deteriorated in a three-month period in 2013.

However, Jay is determined not to be defined by his impairment and, after notching off 63 races in 2017, will look to compete in Tokyo in three years’ time.

But if he fails to source a running guide, it’s his plan to do the six major marathons.

The man, who grew up in Drumchapel, said: “I’m the youngest person that has been diagnosed and already deteriorated to ‘hand movement’.

“I can see someone’s hand move in front of my face and see daylight or the outline of a car passing by, but I can’t see my son’s face.

“When I’m outside in the daylight I can maybe see my son’s blonde hair, but I can’t see his face, which hurts.

“I’m passionate about inspiring visually impaired people to never give up. I want to encourage them to eat well and look after themselves and show that them anything is possible.

“To get to the Paralympics would be a dream come true. It would raise awareness of the situation and it would make my wee boy proud.”

Jay has made adjustments to his own lifestyle to help his vision, such as living on an almost full plant diet, and hasn’t given up on recovering his sight through alternative treatment.

But, for the time being, he has focused on his running – which he often does in a kilt – and doing his late mum and young son proud by overcoming the obstacles in front of him.

Reflecting on his journey, he said: “I realised that my eyesight was really bad in 1995 and they told me I would never able to drive or be in the RAF, so I took up martial arts.

“But I had to give that up in 2011 because my sight got even worse.

“In 2012 I started running and my eyesight started to deteriorate really fast in 2013. It went in about three months and there was nothing they [medical professionals] could do about it.

“It’s been very hard. I had to adjust to how to cook and clean for my wee boy but I take him to nursery and he comes running with me.

“To see my wee boy again would just be priceless. I want to make my mum proud. She died at 61 on May 9. It’s making me more determined to do this.

“I don’t want to be an average runner, I want to stand out. I want to make a different and inspire and motivate people.”