The HERO Portrait Series-Lucy

Lucy~

A couple of weeks ago I let you all know about a personal project I am doing. It's called the HERO Portrait Series. I hope to spotlight Heroes from all walks of life, human and animal alike, and share their personal stories. A few of the definitions for the word Hero include-

A :  an illustrious warrior

B :  a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities

C :  one who shows great courage

D:  an object of extreme admiration and devotion 

Tonight I am sharing the first in the series ~ Charlotte Bradford and her rescue horse Lucy. But in this first story-the Hero is not the human (even though Charlotte IS a Hero too for her undying love and devotion to an animal), it is the gorgeous creature who captured many hearts-most importantly Charlotte's. She writes~

   "If you look up the word survivor, you would find a picture of my Lucy. You would also find her picture under the words courage, strength, grit and determination. You see, Lucy is a rescue horse who is disabled by being blind and deaf. When Lucy first came to rescue, hundreds of pounds underweight, I fell in love with her. I had no idea how wondrous this creature was, or that she would soon be my own. You see, Lucy at one time in her life had an owner who loved her, but passed away. Sadly, Lucy ended up with a family who let her basically starve almost to death. Lucy's spirit is contagious to any who comes into contact with her. She's renewed my own spirit, and that of all those who have come to know and love her. Lucy is living proof that one should never give up and that there are better days ahead. She could have easily given up, lay down and died, yet she chose to fight and to live. She is an inspiration and Hero not only to the other horses who come to rescue, but also to all who have the pleasure of meeting her. When you feel that you are in your darkest days, come and meet my Lucy, she will show you that there is always rain before the rainbow, and sunshine afterwards."

Lucy still has a very good quality of life, and is still very much enjoying living! Due to being blind and deaf, Lucy's sense of smell and touch are greatly heightened. She recognizes the other horses, her caretakers, but most of all Charlotte. She perks right up when she catches her scent in the air nearby. It's truly a sight to behold-the 2 of them together. Horse Rescue is unfortunately much needed all over the United States. I HOPE this inspires you to be a Hero to a rescue animal. If you are in the Low Country area, and would like to help with a rescue, please check out LEARN. Go help with a feeding, or a fundraiser, or donate.  You too can be a  HERO!  

If you would like to have your Hero featured in, or nominate someone for the portrait series-please email me at photographsbyrhonda@hotmail.com. You must be local, or within 100 miles of Charleston SC.

UPDATE-January 2015 Lucy and her pasturemate Willis had become very close. Both of their health conditions deteriorated rapidly, and they crossed the Rainbow Bridge together. Run free my loves-whole and healthy again, and be there to greet the ones who come after you ~