Since losing his sight, Paul has faced challenges head on and believes that anything is possible.
When life handed this Melbourne man an unimaginable hurdle at 35 years of age of becoming totally blind, he faced his new found challenges head on. Despite having lived as a fully sighted man prior to his diagnosis of optic atrophy, he dived deep and decided he wasn’t going to let it stop him from following his dreams and chasing goals.
Paul Holmes, now 60 years old, has recently tackled his latest goal of climbing Australia’s tallest peak.
Mr Holmes set out in the midst of 2019 to start training for Mt Kosciuszko after reflecting on his teen years climbing the peaks of England, Scotland and Wales. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, his dreams were put on hold. However, in the year 2022 and after finding the right support worker, Paul decided it was finally the time. He even asked his support worker after their first walk together “How would you like to do Mt Kosciuszko with me?” To his surprise she immediately replied “Yeah, Okay!”
Mr Holmes says when asked about his disability and facing new goals “my disability shouldn’t be a reason why I can’t do something that I’m passionate about.”
Paul described the climb as a “euphoric experience” as he got to experience the climb in a way he hadn’t previously.
“I used my visual memory from when I was sighted to follow my support worker’s descriptions of the environment around us.” Paul also described his use of his other senses during the climb to enhance his experience. “I knew the air pressure was dropping as we got higher due to change in my breath, I felt the cold coming through my boots due to the snow and I was breathing in native smells from the surrounding plants.”
Recently Mr Holmes has also completed his CPR course despite sceptics claiming he would be unable to. When asked how he handles this criticism, Mr Holmes says “anything is possible when you think outside the square, and I should be able to provide assistance in a crisis as anyone else would be able to.”
Paul Holmes has many other goals on the horizon and this is just the beginning for him!
"We became fast friends and have never been at a loss for things to talk and laugh about!"
Heading out most weekends, Annette and BSRV volunteer Andrew are sharing their joy of riding as they explore their local area.
Since losing his sight, Paul has faced challenges head on and believes that anything is possible.
“I thought of Sandi as my grandmother and a dear friend.” Ghazala.
