Later this month, Hussain, his wife Shaida and his best friend Hanif Mulji will return to the Calgary man's homeland of Tanzania to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro in the name of charity.

Also, to prove he can.

When Hussain went blind as a 17-year-old boy in Tanzania, he was sure his life was over.

"I was a person who would drive and I was a person who would read newspapers from front to back," he said.

"And then all of a sudden because I had some typhoid because of heavy medication, I had hemorrhages behind my retinas I went blind."

Decades later, he's fond of this life he thought he'd never have, retired now from a successful career in computer science, married to the woman he refers to as his guide for the last 20 years, and soon climbing to a peak many sighted people wouldn't dare attempt.

He also hikes and skis competitively.

"I worked hard and I did all that can be done, being blind, to excel myself," he said.

The trio plans to climb 1,000 metres per day, every day, for four and a half days.

Their goal is Uhuru Peak, over 19,000 feet above sea level.

"It is very gruesome," said Hussain.

"It is not a matter of fitness as much as it is (a matter) of how your body reacts to the oxygen, because it is about 50% oxygen at the top."

It's a dream, he said -- he wants to be the first blind Canadian to climb Kilimanjaro.

Planning this with his wife and friend it was decided they should use this as a means to raise money for Focus Humanitarian Assistance.

About $6,000 has been raised, and Hussain wants at least $10,000.

The actual goal is $50,000.

They'll leave Calgary on June 22 and begin their ascent on June 27.

Hussain is confident, but he knows it's not going to be easy.

"For a sighted person they would put their footing where it was supposed to be put," he said.

"For me I have to really kind of find where I can put my footing by feel, you need someone to tell you, 'there's a rock up there' and 'there's this (over here)' and do all that sort of stuff."