Breath of air on the wings of a butterfly: Lowrider driver shares donor story

RIO RANCHO — The Rio Rancho Motorfest at the Rio Rancho Events Center was a major event June 28 but tucked into the rows of cars was a remarkable story that gave more meaning to a car there.

A 1985 Cutlass Supreme, named “El Milagro” and decked out like any low rider, would not have drawn as much attention without its owner Jose Graciano, of Farmington, and the photos of his donor hero Raquel Colucci, to whom the car is in tribute.

Graciano found he was not feeling well at all during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and confirmed that he caught the virus.

“August 18 of 2021 I felt really sick. I had a headache and I couldn’t catch my breath,” he said.

After being hospitalized, Graciano’s condition worsened and he stayed there for months.

“I spent 4 1/2 months there,” he said.

COVID-19 had wrecked his lungs and he was not expected to live much longer. Then, a brain aneurism claimed Colucci’s life, and her lungs were donated to Graciano.

“I received my new lungs March 12, 2022,” he said.

Now, Graciano travels to events like Motorfest the state to share his story and, more importantly, Colucci’s “gift” to him.

“Everybody wants to be a hero growing up. When you grow up, you can become one and save people’s lives. We all are capable of doing that,” he said.

Without words, the car also sends a message about who Colucci was. Graciano has pinstriped her favorite colors, blue and purple, onto the panels of the car and painted a photo of Colucci on the trunk. The hood prop is a blue and purple Mariposa butterfly, which was Colucci’s favorite butterfly.

The car, a picture of New Mexico style, is a work in progress, according to Graciano.

“I’ve been working on it for 5 1/2 years. We just did the paint job last year and this year, we had some fence piping, got new tires and rims. I also added the hydraulic system,” he said.

He was happy to make the trip to Motorfest. He said he has made longer trips to spread the message. When he ran into event organizer Michael Gonzales at another event, he knew he had to make it to Rio Rancho.