A PARTIALLY-sighted Wirral man faced his fears head on when he jumped 11,000 feet out of a plane in aid of the charity that changed his life, just two days after qualifying with his guide dog.

Sean Yem has always struggled with his vision, especially at night, but never knew why until seven years ago when he visited his local Specsavers for a routine check-up and they noticed something wasn’t quite right.

The 31-year-old, who lives in Wallasey with husband Alex, was referred to Arrowe Park Hospital where he was diagnosed with a degenerative condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) – which causes a gradual loss of peripheral vision, causing a tunnel of vision to become increasingly smaller over time.

After being registered as blind last year, Sean began using a cane but found it difficult to use and suffered with wrist pain.

After a return trip to Arrowe Park Hospital, he met guide dog owner Geoff, who works as the Eye Clinic Liaison Officer at the hospital and soon started his journey to becoming a guide dog user himself.

Once Sean had been placed on the waiting list for a guide dog, he and 29-year-old Alex decided they wanted to do something to give back to Guide Dogs and despite Sean’s fear of heights, settled on a skydive.

With the big jump a few months away, Sean got some fantastic news - a suitable match was available and he started training with guide dog Tally.

“After just a few weeks, it would already be weird to go out without Tally,” said Sean.

“Before I was just feeling for things and walking into people, now Tally just walks me around all the obstacles, which I love.”

Tally now helps Sean with daily tasks, including travelling to work which was becoming increasingly difficult as the dark winter mornings and evenings approached.

Wirral Globe:
Sean tackles his fear of heights and takes to the skies.

On Thursday, just two days before taking to the skies for Guide Dogs, Sean received some exciting news – he and Tally had passed all of their training, making their partnership official.

Speaking ahead of the skydive on Friday, Sean said he was “excited but absolutely frightened at the same time” but after conquering his fears at Black Knights Parachute Centre in Lancaster, he said: “It was absolutely amazing. I wasn’t scared at all which was quite unusual. 

"I can't believe I did it but I would definitely do it again."

So far, the pair have raised £1,137 between them – smashing their original £1,000 target.

WATCH: Sean Yem tackles his fear of heights.