Jump to content

  • Set Your Location
  • Sign in or Enroll
Set Your LocationSet Your Location
  • Sign in or Enroll
    • Open I want to choose my medical group or hospital
    • Clear my location
Change Location
Sutter Health
  • Video Visits
  • Find Doctors
  • Find Locations
  • Treatments & Services
    • Video Visits
    • Find Doctors
    • Find Locations
    • Treatments & Services
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Pay a Bill
    • Symptom Checker
    • Get Care Today
    • Health & Wellness
    • Classes & Events
    • Research & Clinical Trials
    • For Patients
    • About Sutter Health
    • Giving
    • Volunteering
    • Careers
    • News
    • For Medical Professionals
    • Other Business Services
Close Search
  • Home
  • Patient Stories
  • A NICU Survivor’s Homecoming
Content

PATIENT STORIES A NICU Survivor’s Homecoming

Aspiring neonatal nurse revisits care team that saved her

Alta Bates Summit Medical Center

Celena Johnson appears to be a typical 20-year-old working hard to achieve a big dream. She attends California State University, East Bay full time, holds down multiple internships and volunteers in her community, all with the goal of becoming a nurse.

But there is something truly remarkable about both Celena and her career ambition: Born 12 weeks early with a host of life-threatening health issues, she almost didn’t make it out of the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center neonatal intensive care unit. “I was born early at 2 pounds, 1 ounce to a mother who had been using drugs and alcohol throughout her pregnancy,” Celena says. “My neonatal team didn’t think I would survive, but through excellent care, blessings and prayer, I made it.”

This early-in-life experience made a profound impact on Celena — and it’s why she is passionate about not only a career in nursing but also working at the very same NICU that saved her life.

Beating the Odds

Born with fetal alcohol syndrome, swelling of the brain and many other complications, Celena faced a unique set of challenges. Her lungs and other organs were not fully developed, requiring her to spend the first six months of her life in the ABSMC NICU, which is equipped to help babies like Celena survive those early weeks and care for them until they can be discharged.

Once she was healthy enough, she was released directly to her foster mother, Mary Maendele. Still, due the severity of her condition at birth, the doctors were unsure of Celena’s prognosis. “They told my foster mother that I might not be able to walk or talk,” she says.

Celena spent many years in speech and physical therapy and made huge strides in her recovery, disproving her doctors’ fears about the limitations that might hinder her. Though she has faced many physical and emotional obstacles throughout her life, Celena has thrived, and she credits these experiences with shaping her into the ambitious young woman she is today.

A Powerful Return

Celena has always felt a special connection to ABSMC, but she hadn’t been back since she was 6 months old. Then last summer, her mentor, Davida Scott, an instructor at the Hayward Adult School, surprised her by setting up a tour of the NICU.

“I wanted Celena to see where she came from and where she is going,” Scott says. “The NICU team — including doctors and nurses who cared for her 20 years ago — all took the time to give her a personalized tour. It showed the love ABSMC has for its patients.”

While at the NICU, Celena felt an instant connection to the babies. “An average person looking at a child that small may think, that baby is not going to survive,” she says. “But with me, it’s different. I just look at them and think, you’re going to be as big as me one day. I have hope for all those little babies. They are going to thrive and blossom — they just need to keep going.”

Celena also appreciated meeting some of the physicians and nurses who cared for her as an infant. “They have a special place in my heart,” she says. “I lost my birth family, so they are my hospital family, and I’m grateful for them. They were motivated to do everything they could to make sure I was stable and able to make it home.”

For NICU medical director Alex Espinoza, M.D., who was there when Celena was a patient, seeing her as a young adult was a validation of the hard work and difficult decisions he and his team are faced with daily. “When we get an opportunity to have a first-person experience like we did with Celena, it has a powerful impact,” Dr. Espinoza says. “We always want to think we are doing the right thing and that the outcomes will be positive for the babies and their families.”

A Voice for Babies

Celena was not only interested in seeing the place where her life began — she also wanted to see where she is headed. Since she was little, she has wanted to be a NICU nurse at ABSMC.

“Working in the NICU will give me the opportunity to have a voice for those babies who can’t speak for themselves,” Celena says. “I will be able to talk to their families while they are going through these challenges, and I can tell them to look at me. I can tell them that I overcame so much at a young age, so they can have hope for their child.”

Also inspiring Celena’s career goal is her potential to positively impact the legacy of her birth parents, whom she recently learned have passed away. “Both of my parents ended up dying due to alcohol and drug use, so I never had the opportunity to meet them,” she says. “I have accepted that I won’t get to meet them, and I’m using that as a motivator to keep going.”

Give to Alta Bates Summit Medical Center

Related Stories

New Mother Thanks Her “Guardian Angels”

Kari Loeser was able to express her appreciation for her care team through the Guardian Angel recognition program.

See all Donor Stories

Disclaimer

Each individual’s treatment and/or results may vary based upon circumstances and the healthcare provider’s medical judgment. Testimonials or statements made by any person(s) within this site are not intended to guarantee outcomes or substitute for medical advice.

The Sutter Health Network of Care
Expertise to fit your needs
Primary Care

Check-ups, screenings and sick visits for adults and children.

Specialty Care

Expertise and advanced technologies in all areas of medicine.

Emergency Care

For serious accidents, injuries and conditions that require immediate medical care.

Urgent Care

After-hours, weekend and holiday services.

Walk-In Care

Convenient walk-in care clinics for your non-urgent health needs.

  • Contact Us
  • Find Doctors
  • Find Locations
  • Request Medical Records
  • Make a Gift
Sign in to My Health Online

Billing and Insurance

  • Pay a Bill
  • Accepted Health Plans
  • Estimate Costs
  • Medicare Advantage

About Sutter

  • About Our Network
  • Community Benefit
  • Annual Report
  • News

Our Team

  • For Employees
  • For Medical Professionals
  • For Vendors
  • For Volunteers

Careers

  • Jobs at Sutter
  • Physician Jobs
  • Graduate Medical Education

Copyright © 2023 Sutter Health. All rights reserved. Sutter Health is a registered trademark of Sutter Health ®, Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark office.

  • ADA Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Do Not Sell My Personal Information
  • LinkedIn Opens new window
  • YouTube Opens new window
  • Facebook Opens new window
  • Twitter Opens new window
  • Instagram Opens new window
  • Glassdoor Opens new window

Cookie Policy

We use cookies to give you the best possible user experience. By continuing to use the site, you agree to the use of cookies. Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences

Privacy Policy Cookie Preferences