Luis E. Torres spent much of his life battling medical problems, but he never gave up on his education.
It took him 10 years to get his bachelor’s degree, but he persisted because that mattered to him, according to Iris Torres, his mother, who lives in Lutz.
He took occasional medical withdrawals, but carried on.
(Courtesy of Iris Torres)
“Education was very important to him,” Iris said, and in 1997, he obtained his diploma.
Luis went on to teach seventh-grade mathematics at Shields Middle School in Hillsborough County.
“That was one of his goals that he was able to accomplish,” his mother said.
But, the teacher’s medical problems weren’t over, and he died on July 2, 2011, at the age of 41.
His family refuses to let that be the end of his story.
At the time of his death, his sister-in-law, Genevieve, suggested that the family establish a scholarship fund, in lieu of receiving flowers.
Now, the Luis E. Torres Scholarship Fund is supported by an annual golf tournament, organized by Iris Torres, Luis’ mom.
She handles the planning and logistics of the tournaments, but other family members and friends step up to help on the actual day of the event.
The family wants to keep his spirit alive through the annual scholarship.
Luis was diagnosed with Lupus when he was just 9 years old, Iris said.
“Lupus can affect any vital organ, and in his case, it affected his kidneys,” she said.
He experienced complete renal failure when he was 21, and was on dialysis for 10 years. He underwent two kidney transplants, but rejected both.
Iris and her husband were not good transplant candidates.
Iris developed breast cancer, and her husband had suffered a heart attack.
Meanwhile, Luis was getting weaker.
His brother, Eric, stepped forward in 2000 to be a kidney donor for Luis.
Luis was 30 when he received the transplant. Eric was 26.
At the time, Eric said, the choice was clear: Donate a kidney or watch his brother die.
“It was scary. I never even had a cavity. So, to go from that to donating an organ, it was significant,” Eric said.
Iris added: “It was very difficult, me as a mother, seeing both of them in gurneys.”
The transplant was done at John Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.
The family went there because, at the time, Johns Hopkins was offering a surgical approach not yet available locally.
“In Florida, they were doing what they call a cadaver incision, which is essentially from the sternum to the small of the back,” Eric said. “Johns Hopkins actually pioneered the organ harvestation through the laparoscopic.”
It was a difference of “being almost cut in half” to a procedure which used tiny incisions, he said.
“If I would have done a cadaver incision, it would have been about a two-week hospital stay,” Eric said. Instead, he went in on a Friday and was released on Sunday.
But, it wasn’t smooth sailing for Luis.
“We stayed at Johns Hopkins for four months because of complications,” Iris said. “He had a really tough road.”
Within four days of returning to Tampa, Luis had fevers reaching 104.
It turned out that Luis had an abdominal infection, and had to be opened up again and cleaned up, Iris said. He was in Tampa General Hospital for another 40 days.
Throughout it all, Luis refused to give in, she said.
What kept him going, she said, was “the love that he had for life.”
In addition to his previous medical issues, he also developed diabetes as a side effect from the medication he took after the transplant, she said.
He had several good years after the transplant, but then he developed stomach cancer, which was not detected until it was too late for treatment.
During the first year of the scholarship fund, the family raised $3,800.
This will be the fourth year the family has organized the charity golf tournament. Last year, it raised $4,500.
“The whole mission is to help anybody who is looking to overcome medical obstacles,” Eric said, noting every dollar that is raised goes directly into scholarships.
“We have given out scholarships to people who have suffered from cancer, lymphoma, leukemia, lupus, seizures, diabetes, birth defects, paralysis,” Iris said.
The goal is to get 60 golfers to participate in the tournament. It costs $475 for a foursome and $125 for a single player.
The fee includes breakfast, lunch and prizes for various categories, such as hole-in-one, longest drive, closest to the pin and a putting contest.
This year, Buddy Shelton, a celebrity trick golfer will be performing at the event, which Iris hopes will help attract more people to the tournament.
Putting on the event and gathering items for the silent auction requires a lot of effort, but the family thinks it’s worthwhile.
“We do it out of love for my brother’s memory,” Eric said.
The proceeds help provide opportunities for students who need help, Iris said.
“One thing I want to relate to the students out there is not to give up,” she said.
Luis never gave up, she adding, noting that one of his favorite quotations was: “At the end of hope, is the start of perseverance.”
What: Luis E. Torres Scholarship Fund
Fourth annual Golf Scramble
When: Oct. 21 at 9a.m., golf scramble; trick golfer Buddy Shelton performs at 2:30 p.m.
Where: Lexington Oaks Golf Club, 26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel
How much: $475 for a foursome; $125 for individuals; donations accepted for those just wanting to watch Buddy Shelton’s trick golf show.
For more information, visit www.luisetorresscholarshipfund.org, or call (813) 417-3021.
Published October 12, 2016