Paul Jacobs GM
Paul Jacobs GM, who served as an Infantryman with the 2nd Battalion The Rifles, was just 20 years old when he lost his sight in an explosion in Afghanistan which killed two of his friends. As well as losing his sight, he was left with a traumatic brain injury and heavy scarring to his body.
Paul spent much of his young life in care and attributes his foster carer for giving him the love, family, stability and home he needed to turn his life around. He is hoping that speaking out about the importance of good foster carers and how they positively influenced his life, will encourage more people to come forward to foster.
I00 children enter the Care system every day in the UK and there is an urgent need for more foster carers and people to adopt. Paul hopes that his story will help raise awareness of the need for more carers and encourage new foster carers to step forward and change lives.
No stranger to a challenge, since losing his sight Paul has climbed mountains, trekked across Europe, run marathons, and fought in the boxing ring for charity. He has overcome incredible adversity to be where he is today, we are absolutely delighted to welcome him as a Diagrama Ambassador and we very much look forward to working with him.
On Sunday 15 September 2024, Paul successfully ran the Dartford Half Marathon to raise awareness about not-for-profit fostering.
In October 2024, he will be walking up Pen Y Fan in Wales with Kate Patel our Head of Adoption and Fostering before embarking on a mammoth challenge to climb the highest peak on each continent.
(credit: Mark French/Reel Connection Films)