Cerebral Palsy

“I always knew how beautiful she was.

I’m just realizing how many other people did.”Teachers and classmates at Clackamas High School, where Alexis was a student, recalled how Alexis would put her face close to theirs and just smile, spreading her cheer for others to share in.She had a network of friends, a community that loved her, one of which was St.

Rose of Lima parish, which offered a Mass for special needs children on the second Sunday of each month organized in part by Dorothy Coughlin, the director of the Archdiocese of Portland’s Office for People with Disabilities.

And there was Alexis’ extended family at Christ the King Catholic Church in Milwaukie, where she made her first Communion and Confession.The Luchinis also participated in an annual summer retreat, organized by Coughlin, for families with special needs children.

The outing helped forge bonds of camaraderie among those grappling with similar situations.The story could have ended there, after Alexis’ death, with the Luchinis thanking the many people and agencies that had helped them care for their daughter and educate her, who supported them on those days when “the chips were down.” The last c...

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