Слепой подросток из Йоркшира готовит бег на Лондонском марафоне 2027 года под руководством матери

Teen dad blinded by firework on North Yorkshire beach now training for new challenge Tom Parnaby, 18, from Scarborough, was blinded by fireworks on bonfire night on November 5 last year and is now training for the 2027 London Marathon with his mum Danni as his guide, raising money for the RNIB A blind teenager from Yorkshire is training to run the London Marathon following a devastating accident that robbed him of his sight. Tom Parnaby, 18, from Scarborough, lost his vision after being injured by fireworks on Bonfire Night, November 5 last year. The incident occurred just weeks after his 18th birthday and shortly before his daughter was born. The horrific accident left him with burns to his hands and face, cost him his left eye, and rendered him effectively completely blind. At the time, his family set up a fundraiser to support him through his life-altering injuries, which raised more than £10,000. An avid runner, Tom has set himself an ambitious new goal this year – he will be running the London Marathon in April 2027, guided by his mum Danni, raising funds for The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). His mum Danni has spoken candidly about their "struggle" following the horrific accident and the "biggest challenge" they encounter during training sessions. The 38 year old grandmother, who runs a pair of cleaning companies, has discussed the obstacles they have confronted while preparing for the major event, reports Yorkshire Live. They have been attempting to complete runs three times weekly, alongside two gym sessions, as part of their preparation. Danni had "never been a runner" so she has found it demanding, though she notes that Tom could complete three miles in 20 minutes before the injury. The proud mum, who links arms while out with the young runner, explained: "Him trying to guide me while I'm guiding him has been the biggest challenge. It's sort of trying to find that balance of him being like 'no, this is the way to go, this is what you should do'. And I'm like 'hmm, okay' and just kind of going with him." She recalled a recent outing: "Last night, he insisted he didn't want to go near the roads, so we went through Bluebell Woods in Scarborough. It was absolutely carnage. The track was uneven, it was a single person track so he couldn't run next to me. He had to go behind me which for Tom, he has no sight at all, was feeling a bit nervous. He forgets that I'm also nervous as not only am I running but I'm stopping him from tripping or falling." Despite the challenges, Danni said they have been having "such a good laugh" while training together. The mum-of-six emphasised that maintaining high spirits has been essential following Tom's devastating accident. Danni explained: "People came up to me and said you had to 'keep going' but there were a lot of times for Tom and the rest of us where it was such a struggle. For Tom, there's not much worse than losing your eyesight, as awful as it sounds and I hate even saying it as it's the reality we're living through now – but what can we actually do about it? We could sit and cry about it all day every day. I've got other children and Tom now has a daughter. You've just got to keep going." Speaking about his experience, Tom wrote on their marathon fundraising page: "I was involved in a life changing accident Bonfire night 2025, 2 months after my 18th birthday, which resulted in me losing my sight. "After my accident my mum wanted to give me something to focus on and that's how the idea of us running the London marathon came about. I am running the TCS London Marathon 2027, with my mum as my guide, in aid of Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), the UK's leading sight loss charity and the largest community of blind and partially sighted people." To support Danni and Tom, you can donate to their fundraiser, here. They’ve been cataloguing their training journey on social media, and here are links to their TikTok, Instagram and Facebook profiles. Did you know you can make Teesside Live a preferred source of Teesside news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here's more information about what this means and how to do it - you can also do it by clicking here. For the latest Teesside news direct to your inbox every day, sign up to our free newsletter