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James Cooper is born
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Perfect Vision
At this point James did not have any problem in his vision, he could see like any normal person. -
James wins a race
James wins a 5k race, all his coaches agree that James will have a great future in sports. He stands out among the other kids due to his athletic condition. He usually goes hiking with his father so his endurance and agility is exceptional. -
First sign of vision loss
At this point James realizes that something wrong is happening with his vision, he can't se as well as he used to and he decides to tell it to his parents. -
James is diagnosed Stargardt Disease.
After realising that he has some kind of vision problem James family decides to take him to a doctor. After several tests the doctor diagnose is Stargardt Disease. Even knowing that this disease has no cure the family tries to be positive and to convince his son not to worry. What is Stargardt Disease -
Start of experimental treatment
James starts an experimental treatmen, tho object of this treatment is to stop the evolution of the disease and to try to improve his vision. James and the family are positive and hope that this treatment can help to improve his vision. -
Vision degeneration
The treatment is not working and James vision keeps going worst and worst this affects to James mentality that starts to be pesimist and rude to all the people. -
Giving up
The experimental treatment gives no results so James dicides to stop getting treatment. This worries James family who notice that their son is changing and is becoming a sad version of himself. They try to speak to him but he never wants to talk about his vision or his feelings. -
James falls in a deep depression
James realizes the desiase will make his life really hard and that most of his dreams won't come true and falls in a deep depression. This not only affects him but also his family who have to see the suffering of his son from the outside. Information about blindness and depression -
Actual James vision state
At this point James can barely see anything, the situation keeps getting worse and worse and James starts to have suicidal thoughts. -
Suicide attempt
James Cooper depression reaches it's worst point and he tries to suicide at the age of 21 by taking a great ammount of pills. Fortunately he misses and his parents find him in the floor of his apartment, the doctors manage to save his life. After this James parents desperately try to make him look for help. -
James attends his first group therapy session
At the insistence of his family James decides to ask for help an start therapy programs. This results to be very positive for him and slowly he shows improvements and becomes a happier person. Information about therapy groups for blind people -
First hiking trip
A friend of James manages to convince him to go on a hiking trip with him. For James safety both are tied by a rope and they walk slowly. This trip arouses feelings inside James that he didn't remember, he enjoys it really much and they decide to do it every time that they can. James starts to feel alive again. -
James finishes a trip by himself
James manages to finish a hiking route with no help, it has been a hard task but he just fell once or twice and he feels very good on the inside which makes him happier on the outside. Talking with his parents about how he feels when he is hiking they arrive to the cocnclusion that hiking is the best think for him and he decides to try to become a hiking guide. -
James Cooper becomes a hiking guide
Afetr some courses and with a lot of effort James Cooper achieves his objective of becoming a hiking guide, the first blind hiking guide of the history. -
First Magazine Cover
Magazines and Tv programmes show interest in James Cooper and his interesting story. -
Blind man manages to become a hiking guide
The history of James Cooper is told in a newspaper.
