High above the clouds, deep within what is called the “death zone” of Mount Everest, Bo Parfet felt his body breaking down. At about 27,000 feet high, every inch of movement strained him until eventually, he couldn’t take another step. Looking to his Sherpa guide for help, they realized his oxygen mask had broken. Even worse, his regulator had frozen over, needing to be replaced. And this wouldn’t be the first time it happened during this particular climb. But despite his exhaustion, the technical setbacks, and the thin, unforgiving air of the death zone, Bo carried on until he reached the top. He had something driving him forward, a reason to keep moving when every step felt impossible:
“Giving back people their eyesight is a motivator,” he said. “Whenever I was really tired or frustrated, I would say to myself: ‘You know what’s really hard? What’s really hard is being blind. Or barely being able to see. That’s really hard. So, I think you can muster up this mountain. I think you can keep going.’ And I did. That motivated me” Bo continued.
For most people, reaching the highest point on Earth just once would be enough. But Bo Parfet has now done it twice. And when he returned to Everest a second time, he did it with a purpose larger than himself: to raise funds and awareness for SEE International’s mission to end preventable blindness.
Building Resilience
Bo’s philanthropic journey to climb the world’s tallest mountains began early in his life when he struggled in school due to dyslexia and a speech impediment. During his younger years, he was bullied by other kids for the way he spoke. He had teachers who told him he would never graduate high school.
“What that slowly built up was this callous…this kind of toughness. I hadn’t known what else to do except keep trying,” said Bo.
So that’s what he did. He kept trying. And after graduating high school, he went on to earn two master’s degrees. That persistence carried him into a career on Wall Street, where he decided to embark on his first climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. Inspired by a colleague to find a meaningful way of making an impact through his climb, Bo decided he would raise funds supporting the education of doctors in Africa. Since then, his philanthropic, perseverant spirit has driven him to channel his passion for mountaineering into making a difference in the world.
When the View Sparked the Vision
Bo has gone on to climb all Seven Summits—the tallest mountains on each continent—dedicating each climb to a different cause. During his climb of Mount Chimborazo in Ecuador three years ago, he discovered what his next cause would be:
“When I was on the summit, the sunrise was coming up. There was an active volcano erupting in the distance. And it was so gorgeous. I thought, look how beautiful the Earth is. And then I thought, gosh, isn’t it terrible that people can’t see how beautiful this Earth is? I want to do something about that. So when I got down, I started Googling ‘Who’s curing blindness?’ and it didn’t take me long to find SEE International,” Bo said.
A Mission to Save Sight
After connecting with SEE’s President & CEO Don Bell, Bo had found the organization he would champion during his second climb of Mount Everest. He went on to raise over $37,000 in donations that would directly support SEE’s sight-restoring work in the Himalayan region, another step in Bo’s mission to make the world a better place:
“The two most important moments of your life are, number one: the moment you’re born, and number two: the moment you know why. And when you find your why, it’s unbelievable. You just start living your life differently…and this is how I bring more meaning to my life,” he said.
Every day, Bo continues inspiring others to pursue meaningful challenges, whether that means summitting a mountain or helping end preventable blindness. Through his climbs, he aims to help restore sight to 100,000 people, with Peru or Chile as his next destinations in 2026. He hopes that his story will inspire others to turn intention into action:
“There’s a lot of people out there who want to make an impact,” said Bo. “I would say to them: take that first step. If you have 10 bucks or 100 bucks sloshing around in your pocket, make that donation to SEE International—or any organization that speaks to your heart—and start changing the world one person at a time.”
Thank you, Bo, for your helping bring the gift of sight to those who need it most. We are so grateful for your determination, heart, and commitment to making a difference.
