"You Have to Live Your Life..."

Words to Live By Under Extraordinary Circumstances

When you meet James Roda, words that come to mind are calm, cool, and collected. He is understated with a wry, subtle, mischievous sense of humor.

Walking home from a bar a little after midnight on October 5, 2013 near Lake Merritt in Oakland, Roda was struck by a drunk driver.

Portrait of former LCB client, James Roda.

The madness of the situation is unfathomable. Roda woke up from a coma weeks later in the hospital. Part of his brain had been removed due to swelling. He could barely talk. He was suffering from major memory loss. He couldn't see. More specifically, he didn't have peripheral vision anymore. His entire field of vision had been reduced to about the size of a straw, making him legally blind.

Some might consider this tragedy as hopeless, bleak or dismal. James had a successful career at a well-known Alameda restaurant. His precision skills in food prep garnered him great accolades said former coworkers and supervisors.

logo for Drake's Brewery in Oakland.

James was also passionate about art and enjoyed full vision until the age of 25. As he gained momentum found at the Lions Center for the Blind in Oakland, James began with orientation and mobility lessons. He used a white cane and sensory signals to get around on the bus and in public. James continued his progress with great success and completed the New Foundations soft skills professional development program. As a result of polishing up his interview, resume writing, technology and professional soft skills, this budding master brewer completed his job search and was hired at a Drake's Brewery in Oakland.

Drawing by James Roda.

Where most people would have considered giving up or giving in to anger and despair, James kept going. He understood that vision loss is not the ultimate obstacle to accomplishing things in life. "I want to thank Lions Center for everything they have done for me," says James. "They gave me the skills, confidence, and connections I needed to take the next steps."

James always seems to find the right words. According to East Bay Times, Roda's mother Theresa once asked him, "How do you keep going?"

James said, simply, "Because you have to live your life."

At the Lions Center for the Blind, James and clients like him are finding the courage to move forward with a new life.

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