Bob Lujano’s dreams of playing competitive sports might have been derailed forever Jan. 7, 1979 when he contracted meningococcemia, a rare form of meningitis. In order to save his life, doctors determined they had to amputate all four of his limbs.
But despite the reality he faced at just 9-years-old, Lujano made it a life goal to live an independent life like everyone else.
On Tuesday, April 28, Lujano will share his life story during the 25th annual Mayor’s Breakfast at Vestavia Country Club.
According to his website, Lujano found a way to continue his sports aspirations when he moved to Birmingham and joined the Lakeshore Foundation. There, at an official U.S. Olympic and Paralympic training site, Lujano joined the wheelchair rugby team, of which he has been a part of for 15 years. Together, the team has won five United States Quad Rugby Association National Championships.
Eventually, Lujano became a Paralympian and represented Team USA. He won a bronze medal at the 2004 Paralympic games in Athens, Greece.
“For me,” said Lujano in a CNN interview, “the best part of living in Birmingham is the Lakeshore Foundation, where small town dreams become reality.”
Today, he continues to work at the Lakeshore Foundation and is an advocate in the area of adaptive and competitive wheelchair sports and serves as President for the USQRA. In 2013 he was listed as one of the 20 Most Beautiful People in Birmingham, Ala.
According to Birmingham Magazine, Lujano is a self-proclaimed “keeper of useless, insignificant trivia,” able to recall obscure baseball stats at a moment’s notice. In 2013, Lujano told the publication that his faith is most important, and reminded others to “trust in God no matter what happens.”
The 2015 Mayor’s Breakfast will begin at 7 a.m. with a buffet. The program will begin at 7:30 a.m. Vestavia Country Club is located at 400 Beaumont Dr.
Tickets cost $20 each and must be purchased in advance.
-Reposted from http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2015/04/former_paralympian_bob_lujano.html