A tribute to Cynthia Lucero

Jean Lau Chin

Cynthia Lucero died an untimely death on April 16 2002 at the young age of 28. She was a psychology intern at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology at Boston Medical Center, and had just completed her colloquium for her doctoral degree at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology 3 days prior to running the Boston Marathon. She had run 20 miles when she collapsed six miles from the race’s finish.

Cynthia’s parents had come up from Ecuador, where she grew up, to celebrate her accomplishments of completing her doctoral dissertation, and to watch her complete the race, only to have to return home with her ashes. Cynthia’s passion was to run the marathon to honor and raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She had trained with a coach and team of more than 150 others for five months prior to the Marathon. She was drinking plenty of water and Gatorade along the route, and according to friends and teammates, was in great shape. The only thing she was worried about was an aching knee. She had already successfully run the marathon in San Diego.

Her passion was so great, she wrote her doctoral dissertation on how running marathons helps family members of cancer patients cope with their loved ones’ illness. Her thesis was filled with the personal stories of some of marathon teammates. She gave freely and selflessly, nurtured and touched the lives of many. Many said she was like an angel, a light in everybody’s life.

Cynthia devoted her life to one of service, and became involved in the Leukemia and Lymphoma society after a life-threatening car accident. She was a volunteer at the Shelter for Battered Women, the Cambridge Health Alliance, the South End Community Health Alliance and the Big Sister program. With her fellow interns at CMTP, she counseled families who lost loved ones at Logan International Airport following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The loss to her to the CMTP program was enormous. Words from her fellow interns and faculty at CMTP capture the spirit and beauty of this woman who did so much in so short a time.

Her primary supervisor, Dr. Mari Bennasar at CMTP had this to say in her evaluation. “Cynthia is a very dependable and hard working person. Her practical intelligence, sound judgment, and emotional resilience enable her to maintain a firm, but empathic stance as she helps clients evaluate their needs and cope with strong demands. Cynthia possesses a good sense about her clients and is able to conceptualize, formulate, and present her cases well. Her ability to maintain a sense of humor combined with a balanced view of situations allows her to deal with the many challenges of the job. A great asset is her tendency to integrate the mind, body and spirit--She views her clients as a whole, an approach that is particularly useful as she works with a diverse population (ethnicity, race, gender, age, and diagnosis).

I would like to emphasize Cynthia’s most outstanding characteristic: commitment; commitment to her clients, colleagues, personal and professional goals; commitment to diversity and multicultural issues--To life. Cynthia’s passion is shown in many different aspects of her life….Not only did she demonstrate the maturity she possesses, but also her resilience. She showed a special capacity to deal with trauma victims, grief, and sudden loss….In short, Cynthia Lucero is a caring, bright person. She is reliable and responsible, patient and reflective. She is highly committed to her career and goals.”

Marisa Mares, a fellow intern, writes: “ Very few people have touched my life in a significant way. Cynthia is one of them. I met Cynthia for the first time when I came to Boston, MA to interview at the Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology. Cynthia always intrigued me. From the moment I first met her I sensed something very special about her. As we waited to be interviewed, we began a casual conversation. Since we were both of Hispanic origin, I was curious to find out Cynthia’s ethnicity. I asked her and she replied, “I’m Ecuadorian.” To this, I answered, “and I’m Peruvian.” It was nice to see that Cynthia did not react negatively to the disclosure of my ethnicity and that she remained interested in me as a person regardless of the animosity that may exist between our countries. At CMTP, I was awed with how brilliant she was, and more importantly, with what a beautiful person she was. Cynthia’s eyes were beautiful. They had a transparency that made me feel I could see her soul through her eyes. Now I believe Cynthia was an angel trapped in a human body. She had a near death experience a few years ago and somehow God allowed her to live longer. I believed God did so for a very special purpose, and that is, to allow Cynthia to touch even more people’s lives in very meaningful ways. I can only speak about my experience and the ways Cynthia has impacted my life. Cynthia engendered in me the desire to become a mother. If I ever have a child, I would love to see that they turn out to be just like Cynthia. Cynthia represents to me dedication, honesty and integrity. These are values I would like my child to embrace. At her colloquium, Cynthia made me realize how important families are since her parents and her younger brother had traveled from Ecuador to be present. This realization prompted me to take some action to repair a rift in my family. Cynthia gave me the final push I needed to be in good terms with my immediate family. I owe this to Cynthia.

According to Lauren Rotondi, a fellow intern: “There was never a doubt that she loved her life, her work and her friends. From the very beginning she invited all of us into her family. I envy her motivation and pure discipline for her art. Psychology was like an art to her. She created masterpieces, reflecting on her own experiences, using her pure passion and unique outlook on life; that’s how she did her work. Even with her dissertation, she used science to show the beauty and inner feelings of her participants, and gave to her audience inspiration and hope. Cynthia put herself into everything that she did; and everything she did was that much better because of it.

On the day she left us, I waited until day’s end to jog beside her, and to give her words of encouragement and strength to carry on those last few miles. Most of all, I wanted to share in her accomplishment and to feel a part of her world which was filled with generosity and commitment. Ironically, it is she who waits for me now. I feel that she will jog beside me and encourage me to jog that last mile until that day we can finally meet. Cynthia’s spirit will live on in all that we as a class accomplish, and create as we continue to find the artist deep inside our own selves.”

Cynthia is sorely missed by her fellow interns at CMTP; she touched deeply the lives of many. She was a model intern, and would have been a model psychologist. She ran the marathon for others. Others will finish the marathon for her, and to ensure that her passion and spirit lives on. Her teammates and CMTP plan to finish the last 6 miles in her honor.