Hello Sts. Joseph and Paul Parishioners!
My name is Ginny Powers Meadows and I would like to introduce my son Jonathan to you. Jonathan ‘Lucas’ McManaway is a 23 year-old resident at Wendell Foster’s Campus for Developmental Disabilities. Lucas has been a member of Sts. Joseph and Paul Catholic Church for approximately a year. He was born at Mercy Hospital in Owensboro and grew up in Hawesville until moving to Warren County when he was a teenager. Lucas is my oldest child and is from a large blended family, having two biological brothers (Dylan and Walker), 2 step sisters (Abby and Amelia), and a step brother and step sister (Kaxton and Kiera) from his father’s home. Lucas also has an enormous extended family in Hawesville, Lewisport, Maceo, and Owensboro, some of which are parishioners of this parish. Lucas has a developmental disorder called Septo-Optic Dysplasia, or de Morsier’s Syndrome, which is a rare disorder that took a considerable amount of time to be diagnosed. He was born with a cleft lip and palate and was later discovered to have Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy, Dysphagia, Epilepsy, Growth Hormone Deficiency, Diabetes Insipidus and Mental Retardation.
Lucas is nonverbal; however, his understanding is that of a young child. Lucas is learning to communicate via a voice output device, but currently uses body language and eye gaze to communicate. He likes to squeal with delight, ‘sing’, and laugh when others are doing the same as he is a very social person. We are extremely grateful to all of you at St. Joseph and Paul Parish for welcoming Lucas with open arms and accepting him as a member, although he may show praise to God a little differently than the rest of us. If you have any questions or concerns or would like to know more about Lucas please do not hesitate to email me at vgmeadows11@gmail.com.
Sincerely, Ginny Meadows
