The Debra Luis Center for Unbridled Dreams
The story of the Debra Luis Center for Unbridled Dreams begins on two coasts with two farms inspired by a unique spirit. Debra Luis, an accomplished teamster and horsewoman, after experiencing mysterious symptoms and seeking answers for quite some time, was diagnosed with ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) in January 2015. ALS was first found in 1869 by French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot, but it wasn’t until 1939 that Lou Gehrig brought national and international attention to the disease. Ending the career of one of the most beloved baseball players of all time, the disease is still most closely associated with his name. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons reach from the brain to the spinal cord and from the spinal cord to the muscles throughout the body. The progressive degeneration of the motor neurons in ALS eventually leads to their death. When the motor neurons die, the ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost. With voluntary muscle action progressively affected, patients in the later stages of the disease may become totally paralyzed. By May Debra was already experiencing weakness in the muscles that hold up her head and the nerves in her feet which impacts her balance. She chose not to waste a precious second of her remaining time and has set about living life LARGE. Her amazing sister-in-law (Michele LeTourneau Luis) asked Debra where she would go if she could go anywhere in the world and Debra said she wanted to visit Kentucky to see the quilt museum and the horse capital of the world. Our great friend Samantha VanSickle posted a link to Debra's GoFundMe page and that is how we met her. She and her daughter, Allie Marie Sutton, worked their way from California to Kentucky to Virginia and back. We invited her to stay with us on our Kentucky farm and experience our amazing Gypsy Stallions. What started as a plan for a day turned into two multi-day visits (which were way too short) and a life changing experience for us. During that time Debra visited with many horses (including ours) and took what she knew would be her last ride on our stallion Bullet. Watching the joy in Debra's face and experiencing the gift of sharing inspired us to found a Center where we could support and help realize dreams for others. We asked Starfire Gypsy Horses if they would be interested in joining us on our adventure and were thrilled they agreed. To our great pleasure, Debra agreed to allow us to name the Center in her honor and helped us in the initial development stages. Her daughter Megan Louise Luis, a talented artist, created our logo which blends Debra's love of horses with her own original farm logo. Debra passed away November 27, 2015 and the world lost a great teamster and light. We lost a treasured friend. But the thrill on her face, her happy tears of pure joy and intense emotion as she concluded her ride and her sage words of advice to "get busy" and "live life large" will remain her legacy in the adventures to come.
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