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Hiro Iwamoto: Through Storms and Stars: Hiro Iwamoto’s Inspiring Transpacific Adventure
July 20, 2023 at 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
In 1966, Hiro was born in Amakusa city’s Kumamoto prefecture. At the age of 13, he started loosing his
sight, becoming totally blind at the age of 16.He later heard a message from his uncle in the heaven. “You became blind to encourage
people who are struggling and cannot find meaning in life. You, as a totally blind person exploring many
different things, can inspire these people.”
Hiro started looking at his blindness from a different perspective: not as a negative, but as a positive aspect
of life. He began trying an array of new activities including: the Special Athletes Sports Competition,
climbing Mt. Fuji (the highest mountain in Japan), studying abroad at San Francisco Sate University,
running a full marathon, and sailing (introduced to him by his wife).
Learn about his two attempts (one successful) to be the first blind person to sail across the Pacific.
