His company, Eye-Q LLC of Richmond, developed a slick interactive product that combines information on compact discs with supplements from the Internet.

For a company or organization that uses CDs to distribute information, a NetworkDisc means never having to burn and mail new discs.

With Eye-Q software on the original disc, anyone with an Internet connection can automatically download updates for the material on the disc. Updates reside on the computer hard drive and seamlessly integrate with the on-disc presentation.

Jacoby swells with enthusiasm when he talks about the potential for NetworkDisc.

A division of the Medical College of Virginia recently signed a big contract for the product, while the Virginia Holocaust Museum already uses NetworkDisc to help raise money for its upcoming move into a larger museum space in Shockoe Bottom.

Down the road, Jacoby said, the product could make Eye-Q a "very big, busy business."

But that doesn't make Jacoby's story one of patience and perseverance. His battle with thyroid cancer and the lingering effects of a skiing accident create the bigger picture.

A rare spinal cord condition linked to the 1998 collision between Jacoby and a snowboarder on a Colorado mountain slope nearly ruined Jacoby's autonomic nervous system and put him in bed for four months last year.

For Eye-Q, the timing hurt. The ski accident's delayed aftereffects occurred just as Eye-Q was gathering momentum with the NetworkDisc idea and with software development contracts.

"It prevented me from physically attending sales and marketing meetings, where I believe my ability to come up with practical applications and demonstrate advantages using our technologies was missed," Jacoby said. "There was a period when I was more of a Dear Abby to this company than a partner."

Jacoby remembers looking uphill as the out-of-control snowboarder rushed toward him.

"He was doing about 40 miles per hour," he said. "I saw him and tried to get out of the way. It was just bad luck. There was no place for me to go."

Doctors initially found a ruptured neck disc but didn't recommend surgery.

More than a year later, other problems emerged. Muscle spasms began, and Jacoby's digestive system began to falter. But doctors didn't connect those problems with the ski accident at first.

By January 2001, Jacoby was stuck in bed, barely able to lift his head.

While discouraging, those experiences ultimately helped Jacoby develop a more patient outlook that has carried over from his personal life to his business.

"I think it forced it," he said. "It's changed my perspective quite a bit."

As he regained strength, Jacoby relied on business partners Malcolm McDonald and Paul Galanti to keep pushing Eye-Q's products and services.

Just having Galanti around helped Jacoby push himself and avoid getting too down about his physical condition. Galanti, a Vietnam veteran, spent nearly seven years as a prisoner of war after his Skyhawk jet was shot down over North Vietnam in 1966.

Whenever he thinks of complaining about his luck, Jacoby considers what Galanti endured.

"He is a huge source of courage," Jacoby said.

Galanti said he admires Jacoby's innovative ideas and his creativity - and his perseverance.

"One of the reasons I like him is he has had a whole lot of adversity thrown at him and he just smiles and keeps going," Galanti said. "He's 'been there and done that.' I get as much from him as he says he gets from me."

Jacoby did stay involved by phone and e-mail while bedridden. He also dreamed up a Web-based application for his homeowner's association that Eye-Q now markets to other associations.

The product, HOA-Connect, gives communities a customized Internet site that includes message boards, events calendars, for-sale information and more.

Still, Eye-Q will continue to stress NetworkDisc. Jacoby expects the product to account for 90 percent of Eye-Q's revenue in coming years.

With his cancer surgically removed (but under close watch for return) and corrective surgery scheduled for the spinal condition, Jacoby is enthusiastic about professional and health prospects - even if it means a slower pace for both.

"In the long run we know this is going to be best," he said.
 
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