Local man rides across country for hearing loss

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WMAR) -  

Jacob Landis takes cues from his trainer.  Those verbal commands are helping his body prepare for the ride of a lifetime.  

At 23, Jacob has the life experience to know what it was like to be deaf.  

"I was angry, depressed and distracted.  it wasn't a problem i was born with.  It was something i had to watch being taken away from me," said Landis.  

His hearing was taken away in the fourth grade.  That summer, doctors put in a cochlear implant, which restored his hearing and gave him a new life.

"It's the difference between speaking and not speaking.  It's the difference between hearing music and not hearing music," said Landis.    

The music on this Saturday morning is the panting and the deep breaths.  People take on a boot camp to help this Annapolis native with one strong commitment.  

Jacob started conditioning his body in January.  In a few weeks, he will start a six-month journey.  

Major League Baseball will play a major role in Jacob's Ride.  He plans to hit all 30 stadiums, coming to Camden Yards on April 6th.  The Orioles, his favorite team, has already donated tickets, getting him a step closer to his million dollar goal.

One million dollars raised, along with the promise of grant money, will allow Jacob to donate about 100 cochlear implants to the Gift of Hearing Foundation.  

Trainer Brian Johnson is helping Jacob's body prepare for up to 120 miles per day.  

"Working on the muscle endurance and then a lot of high cardio exercises, kind of like what we just did here.  Really get that heart rate up and be able to sustain a higher heart rate for a longer period of time," said Johnson.

So far Jacob has raised $12,000.  His journey starts on April 3 and ends in September.  His family will trail behind him in a van.

Click here for more information on Jacob's Ride.