Louis Torres' Medical Fund

Louis Torres is a son, grandson, brother and friend who touches everyone with his fiery spirit and rascally humor.  He is a handsome and talented 23 year old man proud of his Italian and Latino roots. He is a writer who aspires to turn his screenplays into films that will be seen on big screens across the world. A dedicated worker to his craft, Louis is working hard to transfer to San Francisco State University to study Creative Writing and Film and Media Studies.

Louis was on his way home from working as a security guard at Rookies when he was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of East 5th Street and Military East. The driver sped through a red light and did not stop. Louis was taken by paramedics to John Muir Medical Center, the best trauma center in the region.

Initially his injuries did not look so bad. He had a trauma to his head and some abrasions to his knees and forearms. He was speaking, responding to questions, and did not even require oxygen, but they monitored him closely all night. The next morning, with his brain swelling from the head trauma, Louis suffered a seizure. He was immediately put on life support, and the doctors prepared us for the worst. But we all know Louis is a fighter. He has kept fighting these last few days and nights, and we have continued to pray for the pressure inside his brain to decrease and stabilize.

We have been heartened by the love and support for Louis. The ICU has been flooded with family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers, praying and sharing stories about Louis. Friends have driven from Chico, flown in from Texas and Tennessee. We held a vigil in the chapel at the hospital, where we listened to a recording of Louis sing the John Legend song, "All of Me" and the theme song from "Rocky," his power anthem.

We are holding on to the faith that Louis will wake up, walk, talk, write, sing, direct, act, and share his stories again. We have created this page, because many people are asking how they can help support. We are raising money to help the family with medical costs and the rehabilitation we envision he will need.

At the vigil, Forrest read Louis' poem "Never Give Up on Your Dreams" that he won an award for last semester. We know Louis wanted to inspire the world with his words, so we wish to share it with you here:

I’ve made a lot of jokes in my life but now it’s time to get serious.

Everybody in here has had a dream of some sort at some place in time.

Something they aspired to be.

Maybe they got caught up in the world and decided to part from it.

Maybe they were influenced by others and parted from it.

Maybe they gave up.

Maybe they didn’t believe.

Something else

Something else other than themselves was stopping them.

Some of us get driven off the path, some of us head down multiple wrong roads.

And at the end of those roads, when they are circled by darkness, they beg on their knees for a way out.

I was one.

All I know is, it’s never too late to start again.

It’s called waking up.

The day we wake up is the day we are truly born.

Now this may take time, but when it happens it will be glorious.

There are those of us that are already awake

There are those of us who are still sleeping.

Get excited every time you accomplish a goal,

If you can see it you can grasp it.

If it is visible, it is possible.

Never mind the naysayers, Never mind the polluted minds of those who are still asleep.

Strive for excellence, be the best YOU can be.

And if you have a dream, don’t let anybody tell you different.

You are that dream, you are that fantasy.

You are that person. I want every one of y’all to look in the mirror when you get home and ask yourself, Am I who appear to be?

If not then push forward to who you want to be.

Nothing is easy, especially now.

But there is no mountain you can’t climb.

There is no ocean you can’t swim across.

There is no reason to say the words I can’t.

There is a code I like to live by that I made up of the three D’s

Dedication, Discipline, and Deserving

Be dedicated to what you want.

Be disciplined and spend the man hours to accomplish what it is that you want.

And most importantly, know that you are deserving of anything your heart desires and nobody can take that from you.

If time has taught us anything

It is that nothing is impossible.

I want to write, maybe you want to act.

Some of us wanted to be dancers,

or doctors,

or actors…

I want to write screenplays. I’ve always wanted to write screenplays.

Telling stories is my passion.

The art of creating is a profession which has chosen me.

And a few years back, I fell off my dream, and best believe it was a mission to get where I am today.

But I am here, and I am awake.

There are those who doubt my abilities,

There are the realists in the world that can never comprehend the lifestyle of those who dream.

But it is the dreamers who are remembered.

The dreamers who live on past the soil.

Anything you want can and will be yours if you work hard enough.

It’s called sacrifice.

Whether you’re the best at it, or you decide to teach it along the way.

As long as you are who you say you are and you love it.

That is all that matters.

Some of us dream to the stars until the end of time.

Some of us procrastinate till the point of no return.

And I am not saying what you want is easy.

Nothing in life you really want ever is.

I am simply telling you to surround yourself in it,

But no matter what, when, why and where, it is never too late.

Whatever you want in life you can achieve.

It doe not matter the magnitude of your goal’s integrity, but the souls which those professions belong to.

When you wake up in the morning, are you heading toward the person you want to be?

Are you thriving, are you pushing to get what you want?

When trouble strikes you, are you scared?

It’s all right to be scared. We all get scared.

Life is scary.

But we only get one chance, one shot at this scary life.

One opportunity and that opportunity is always calling.

Will you answer the call?

Whatever you want in this life can be yours.

A wise man once said, “You have to already know you have it. Now it’s just claiming it.”

That was Denzel Washington.

I know what humans are capable of.

I see it every day. I watch the news. I watch sports, movies, listen to music. Read magazines.

I am most certainly aware of what humans are capable of.

So why not you?

Why can’t you do the impossible?

What is stopping you?

Nothing…. only you.

You see, some of us dreamt of being football players,

Maybe you want to dance

Maybe you want to help the sick

Maybe you want to make a difference and aren’t sure how to get there.

So let me tell you something before I let you go.

You will never know unless you try, and try hard.

Your future awaits you and it looks spectacular.

Thank you.