JOHN Ramm has never experienced life with the benefit of something the majority of us take for granted.

At just 10-months-old, the 52-year-old father of four was diagnosed with retinoblastoma – a rare type of eye cancer that only affects children under the age of five.

The condition led to him having both eyes removed, plunging John into a world of darkness.

"I've been blind most of my life so if anyone's used to it I am," says John. "It does make life tough sometimes but you just have to get by and do whatever you do haven't you?"

John, who lives in Hightown, has done a lot more than just get by for the last five decades, working as an active member of the Community Church in Prices Lane, Wrexham and as an ambassador for the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) and chairman of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) in Wales.

He's also found time to pursue his love of music, playing drums with the band 40 Days for many years before his latest venture promoting live music.

In between all that he's also had to look after his daughter Bethan who was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma when she was seven-months-old which caused her, like dad, to have her eyes removed when she was five-years-old.

"Statistically speaking 50% of my children could have inherited the condition but thank goodness that wasn't the case," says John. "Bethan is totally blind now but she had all kinds of treatment to save her sight.

"Thankfully she knew that her father was blind and that there was life after blindness. She is 24 now and doing fine.

"I've noticed how squeamish people who can see are about their eyes – more than they are about any other sense – but for me having artificial eyes is no big deal as I had them first fitted when I was 10 months old and they refit them as your eye sockets grow.

"It's been harder for Bethan because she received radiotherapy treatment and that tends to stop things growing so it's been harder for her to find eyes that fit."

"It's a huge adaptation for those who lose their sight at an older age and the attitude I find is that most of those people who do lose their sight later on say 'well I've had a good life up until now', like as if their life is over but it isn't," he says. "I know it's difficult as it is harder to learn later in life but people do have to re-orientate themselves."

John's passion for music has proved the overriding factor in his successful battle against blindness and he has become a well-known and popular figure in Wrexham's close-knit musical community.

"I'm a drummer by trade but in the last few years I've been learning acoustic guitar and singing at open mic nights," he says.

"What blindness means is that you have to focus what is coming into your ears. You can't focus on what the band looks like or if your drums are the right colour or any of that stuff.

"I teach drums as well and it really makes you think about what you are playing and what you are doing well."

As a regular gig-goer, John is now turning his hand to promoting with his first concert being a show by acclaimed singer songwriter Nick Harper at Ty Pawb in Wrexham later this month.

"I'd been thinking about it for a while," he says. "I always thought about if I won the lottery who I'd bring over to Wrexham from the United States who'd never play here.

"Then I thought 'hang on' because I hadn't won the lottery so I started at the other end and saw on Nick's tour dates that there was always a note saying 'if you want to book Nick email...' so I just thought 'let's do it!

"I emailed him and told him I'd not promoted before but I knew a bit about music and had run a PA company before so I know how things work and I've played enough gigs.

"They came back and said 'let's do it' – it's a risk because you have to pay the guy but Ty Pawb has a really nice live room and it's fascinating place."

Harper, who is the son of English folk musician Roy Harper and a past member of Squeeze has been wowing live audiences for years and despite the gamble involved in promoting, John is looking forward to the gig.

"I first heard him ten years ago when he played at Central Station and it was a fabulous gig," he adds.

"I loved his energy, his originality and his cheekiness and he had a guitar sound I'd never really heard before to be honest.

"I'd love to put more gigs on in the future and I'm speaking to a few people and I'd love to get to a point when I could put one gig a month on."

Nick Harper plays Ty Pawb in Wrexham on Saturday November 17. Tickets available from www.wegotickets.com