Montevallo Man Fights to Overcome Brain Disease

By Nick Raymond

24-year-old James Lutz suffers from a rare brain disease that his family calls cerebellum atrophy. It is a brain disease that he was affected with only a few months after he was born. Lutz's family was told that he would be unable to live past the age of five.

"The doctor said I would be a vegetable; I wouldn't be able to move or nothing," Lutz said.

"But I always prove them wrong," Lutz added. Somehow, Lutz survived and struggled to learn how to walk, though with much difficulty. For several years, Lutz had to use a walker and wear a helmet for protection.

James Watkins, a former classmate of Lutz's, has known Lutz for 17 years, says that Lutz was able to do many things that people said he would never be able to do.  

"I would say that the only reason that this man was able to do this is because it's James Lutz," Watkins said.

Lutz graduated from Montevallo High School, and by this time, the walker and helmet were far behind him. He developed an interest in weightlifting and began working out at the Student Activity Center at the University of Montevallo. Lutz works out three days a week and puts two hours into every workout.

"He hits the workouts hard. It's really inspirational to see the way he invests in the process. So its always good to se him here working out," said weightlifter James Jackson. "He motivates me."

All through school, Lutz worked to overcome his difficulties with walking, and now he has found new goals to reach for, as physical fitness has been one of his interests since high school. He says he hopes to continue making progress through plenty of hard work and dedication.

 

"Being around him has given me inspiration," said weightlifter Ellie Glasscox, who has known Lutz for three years. "And its given me reason to think that people can always work and get better, and devote your energies to something worthwhile, and James is certainly the type of person that has had an influence on me."