In the know.

Have you ever made a promise that altered the entire trajectory of your life? For Loni Lugo this promise was made at the altar when he looked his beautiful bride, Dee, in the eyes and swore to care for her, no matter what life would bring.

After a half-century together devasting news would shake the foundations of their world, Dee was diagnosed with uterine cancer. One of the first things to change would be Lugo’s work routine. He was the Chief Marketing Officer for a Regional Insurance Company which required him to travel between Texas and Florida. “When my wife was sick, I moved into a consultant role where I could care for her at home,” he explained. 

Soon, the inevitable finally happened, Lugo said a final goodbye to his wife of 53 years as she passed away peacefully in their home. In the midst of the grief and loss, a new promise surfaced. But this time it was a promise he would make to himself, to live life to the fullest, while also continuing his work as a Roman Catholic Permanent Deacon. 

But what would this new life without Dee look like? There were many options in front of him. His first consideration pointed him towards the possibility of a low-maintenance condo. But his grief seemed to enunciate something he knew could be a growing concern, the pain of aloneness. “I knew that if I chose to move to a condo, I would  put myself in a position to be alone. I knew that wouldn’t be good for me,” he explained. 

With that option decisively marked off the list, it was time to put out inquiries to several places in the area, including Mirador. “I was familiar with the location because I had visited members of the church as a Deacon to bring them communion,” he recalled.

Although he toured a multitude of senior living communities in the Coastal Bend area, Mirador stood apart. “I met with Vanessa and Mirador was instantly set apart because it requires an economic investment to live there, which separates someone who is only in the mindset of borrowing a place to live versus someone who has an economic interest,” he shared. Lugo is referring to the largely refundable entrance fee which is required upon entry into Mirador’s Independent Living apartments. This upfront deposit unlocks significant savings as residents may progress through the continuum of services. An attractive feature he hadn’t encountered at other area communities.

The next step was to bring in his own expert advisor, more specifically his son. One of his two sons, Joseph, worked for the US Government (HHS) as a Director in the AOA Administration on Aging . Lugo explained, “He came down and toured the entire facility. In his work he leads a team whose job is to visit places all over the US, trained to look more deeply into the operations and set up.” He went on, “After his tour to Mirador he told me this place is five star all the way!” He also recounted how his son was impressed with the long tenured employees and low turnover.

His other son, William, had a similar response after investigating. “My two sons are polar opposites,” he laughed. William is a sociology and criminology professor at the University of Connecticut, so he looked at Mirador through the lens of people's interactions. He also agreed that Mirador was the best in Corpus Christi.  Both William and Joseph had offered to let him come live with them in their large homes but he felt it was not a good arrangement to infringe on their lives in a way that could be disruptive. “I have watched people who transition through the various stages of aging and I don’t want to put that on my sons,” he shared. For him, the promise he made to himself to live well including an independence from burdening his son and their families with his future care and housing needs.

Besides, as he spent more time at Mirador, he found there was something just under the surface that caught his attention giving him an unexpected sense of calm. “I think I was unknowingly drawn to Mirador without even realizing it because so many of those living here have also experienced the loss of a spouse or find themselves alone. There is an unspoken understanding about where we are in life, an understanding that I didn’t expect to find. Feeling understood...that part wasn’t in the brochure,” he laughed.

He went on, “I am not alone, it’s like there are others living in the same book as me, but everyone is on their own page.”

Today, Lugo has fulfilled his promise to live life to its fullest after finding the unexpected, a place where his grieving heart is at home. For him, finding home was finding Mirador.

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