My name is James Cocke and my last name is spell C-o-c-k-e. Tell everybody put it on that thing or you won't find me.

If you're looking for me.

That is James Cock and he has end stage glaucoma.

I started seeing flashes of light and that was normal.

It was glaucoma and that's eye pressure.

And I found out that you can have a stroke from glaucoma.

If you if it's left untreated, then you can lose your vision.

Your vision becomes the peripheral vision, get smaller and smaller and you and if it's untreated, you can actually go blind.

James first came to our attention when he did A Voices that Inspire a segment for WFA Shoe Radio.

Here's this week's Voices That Inspire.

My name is James Clarke and I'm.

His glaucoma has snuffed out his vision in one eye and severely hinders vision in his other.

Aside from his visual predicament, James impressed us with his unique sense of humor and his never give up glasses for always positive attitude.

There's over from where we're talking and we'll have a brain freeze.

And yeah, and the thought just jumps out your pocket and runs down the road and it's gone.

So I say, Don't pull it off.

And for tomorrow, do it today.

That attitude has led James to an unusual activity for someone with his condition painting.

It was Father's Day last year, so last June, and I'm up to about 450 paintings.

I just love it.

You know, It gave me a new lease on life and I just have enjoyed it so much.

And I'm sure if I had two great eyes, I would be okay artist.

I challenge anybody to shut one eye and put the screen over the other one and see what I can do.

You know, when I first started and I started doing the pattern and I thought, well, I see the same pattern every day.

It varies, but the shapes change a little bit.

So when I wake up in the morning and I see that pattern either directly to the to the oh, my little studio is a jump room that I paint in and I try to emulate what I saw the night before.

If I'm not if I'm not painting, I'm thinking about what I'm gonnapay either how to do it a little differently.

And so it's always on my mind that it not if I think to something in the middle of the night, I'll just return, grab my phone and go to Reminder and say, I want to do this or I want to do that.

I thought of one last night.

I thought about the cottontail rabbits down here in the South with that little white tail.

I thought, I'll just pay his little but and call it the end.

Another interesting thing about James is that if he decides he wants to try something, he just does it.

He wanted to write a book, so he wrote one and then a couple more.

I like telling stories and and I wanted to tell my story and but I never claimed I was a writer.

So I've had people tell Mr. James, I love your stories, but I hated the format, you know, or this, that and the other.

But this is a picture of the still a river that runs from Waycross to to the coast.

And it starts out in my younger days.

Oh, on Dog Heal, you know, And it goes on and there's probably 500 stories in there.

Oh, I had a little notepad when I was selling air conditioner that I would say I'm going over to Joe Smith's house to give him a quote.

And then I think of a story that the snake in the car or, you know, some crazy little snippets.

And that night I would come home, put it on a yellow legal pad.

Well, after six years, I said it's time.

And I started putting it in chronological order and my memory would not allow me.

It just it just I couldn't get it right.

And that's the reason I tell people, go ahead and do something.

You know, don't don't procrastinate.

And finally, James shares an experience and so I think is helpful to understanding his positive outlook.

My pain, which ruptured back 20 something years ago and I was in the hospital and you never know if you have good insurance or not until you have to use it.

And I had some crappy insurance and I'm lying there and I'm thinking if I live, I don't even know if Pam will pay for all this.

We were in a bind.

But I'm telling you, I never once thought, Lord, take me out now.

So I can't, you know, I'm not be able to afford all this.

It's just that we'll do live.

I think that a lot of people have.

So I've got three great children and I got five great grandchildren and great daughter and loves.

I mean, I've been blessed.

When you look at other people's woes.

I have been.

And just because I can't see very well, you know, that's not them.

That is not don't make me say I quit.

I'm just not going to.

Sounds like a good lesson for all of us.

For WFIU Public Media.

I'm Mike Plummer.