Westminster coach a true Warrior

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One day Jim Mueller was a 30-something construction foreman and father of three pulling in an average income of $80,000 a year.

The next day Jim Mueller was liquidating his house, cars, and other assets.

Being diagnosed with incurable Early Onset Alzheimer's at age 36 wasn't part of the plan. In fact, when the reality of the neurodegenerative disease -- believed to be non-hereditary in this case -- unwillingly sunk in, it was almost too cruel to accept.

"I went through a denial period," said Mueller, now 39. "I thought I was too young to have this happen to me. It was pretty devastating with three young kids and I was just starting to really get into my career.

"It's hard to understand news like that."

Relaying the news to his daughters, Jamie, Erin and Katie -- now 14, 13 and 9 -- was something no father should have to do.

"My wife and I were shocked," Mueller said. "At first the girls were angry in their own way because dad wasn't going to be able to do the stuff he used to.

"I had to turn in my license. I can't even take them to McDonald's, the movies and [White] Sox and Bulls games anymore by myself."

Down but not out, Mueller decided to turn a negative into a positive -- for his sake as well as his family's. There really was no other choice.

The first step for the still-reeling Muellers was to pack up their belongings and move from Lombard to Villa Park where they would begin attempting to make ends meet through fixed disability insurance and Social Security. His wife, Michelle, formerly a stay-at-home mom, began taking classes at a nearby college to prepare for the future.

Jim is unable to work ever again -- kind of.

Last year, Mueller fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming a high school head varsity coach after getting tagged to take over the first-year Westminster Christian Warriors softball team. He is also a part-time sophomore boys basketball and soccer coach at IMSA.

"I realized that my (construction) career was over. I can't do that work anymore," said Mueller, who previously served 11 years in the military, where he met Michelle. "I always wanted to be a head coach. I thought 'I'm going to pursue it whether I'm sick or not.'

"I wasn't going to give up on my dream."

A true Warrior -- Mueller didn't hold back any punches when propositioning IMSA athletic director Michael Dunn-Reier and Westminster AD Rick Palmer, respectively, about his desires to give back and enter the coaching profession.

"I told them up front that I have a handicap," he said. "But I also told them that I would work twice as hard as any other coach because I have to. I wanted to show people you can accomplish things when you are down."

For Palmer, Mueller's condition was almost a non-factor in his decision to hire him.

"Jim's recommendations and his passion for the sport of softball blew me out of the water," said Palmer, who interviewed three individuals for the opening. "I immediately knew that this was someone that I wanted to consider and then he started telling me about his disease."

Instead of dismissing Mueller because of his situation, Palmer embraced his plight.

"My grandfather passed away from Alzheimer's so I had a little connection right away," Palmer said. "He told me that he might do this for a year or he might do it for 10 years. He didn't know. He was open about everything and the disease wasn't an issue to me.

"Honestly, this may only last a year or two. I know that and he knows that. But we are going to take it one day at a time and enjoy every second with him."

After getting the gig, the next step for Mueller was to explain Early Onset Alzheimer's -- a rare form of dementia -- to his newly assembled team. Like he did at IMSA, Mueller let a taped interview do the talking for him.

"CBS did an interview with my wife and I on our story a couple years ago," Mueller said. "It's about four minutes long and I play that for my kids and coaches. When they see that then they know my story and then I answer any questions they might have from there."

Freshman Katie Moeller, one of only three players with any previous softball experience, recalls meeting Mueller for the first time along with her teammates.

"I think at first we were all kind of shocked," said Moeller. "We definitely weren't expecting it. When he showed us the video it was kind of scary.

"Since then we've kind of gotten used to it. Sometimes he forgets things and we have to remind him that we did that drill already. Other than that, he's just like any other coach."

The Warriors, playing a half varsity and half junior varsity schedule, are 4-9 in varsity action. The program's first win was a victory against Luther South.

"That was a special moment for myself and all these girls who have really put in a lot of hard work," said Mueller, whose mother works at Westminster. "They stormed the field and just to see their faces was amazing."

The early stages -- Mueller is in the second stage of the four-stage disease that generally strikes those in their mid-30s to mid-60s. While the majority of 5 million Americans with Alzheimer's are over 65, an estimated 200,000-500,000 have Early Onset Alzheimer's.

Mueller's symptoms began at the age of 34 when he first began experiencing memory loss.

"I started having some memory issues, but I just put it as business and stress," Mueller said. "I was a foreman building high-rises in downtown Chicago. Sometimes I would forget to turn in time cards."

Gradually, Mueller's condition got to a point where his family members started to become concerned.

"I started to forget my wife's name and the names of my kids," said Mueller, who now uses a Blackberry given to him by a friend and a notebook to remind him of names and daily tasks. "I haven't totally lost all my memory, but I have my good days and my bad days."

At the age of 35, Mueller was first hospitalized. However, it wasn't until a year later, following series of tests at Rush Medical Center in Chicago, before Mueller was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer's.

"I now go to Rush every year for a check-up," Mueller said. "The last one I did was no better or no worse."

Nowadays, Mueller depends on caregiver Leonard LeShore -- a Hurricane Katrina refugee -- to transport him to and from games and practices.

Man on a mission -- In addition to building a softball program at Westminster Christian, Mueller dedicates his time educating the public about his terminal disease. As a family, the Muellers are anxious to get the word out in their effort to someday find a cure.

"My mission is to help others with the same problem," Mueller said. "My daughters speak out on the disease to other children who are just starting to go through what we have. They are like trendsetters and they help me a lot.

"I want people to know I'm not going to give up. I'm fighting for this and maybe someday we can find a cure for it."

Next year, Mueller, whose team plays and practices at the Elgin Sports Complex, is hoping the Warriors can host a softball tournament with a portion of the benefits going to continued Alzheimer's research.

"As long as I'm physically able to keep [coaching], I'm going to keep doing it," Mueller said. "My job now is coaching and I enjoy what I'm doing more than what I ever used to do. My family and these kids inspire me to keep going and hopefully I inspire them."