Mom and preemie son who were SF public health patients, both become nurses

A single mom's journey from patient to SF nurse, now sees her son follow in her steps.

San Francisco nurse Jenny Lopez says she was inspired by a public health program that helped her with the birth of her preemie baby, and followed her dream to become a nurse. Now, she is a manager in the program and will celebrate her son's graduation this week, as he follows in her footsteps to become a nurse.

SAN FRANCISCO - Jenny Lopez says she reached a low point in life when she was pregnant with her second child, and her mother, Juanita, suddenly died.

"I was a single mom," Lopez said. "I had a 9-year-old. I was in a grieving state. I was grieving my mom. I was facing eviction here in San Francisco." 

Added to that, her new baby Julian was a preemie, born at just 32 weeks.

Jenny said the Department of Public Health sent a field nurse to help her as part of a home visit program.

She says that field nurse inspired her to pursue her own dream of becoming a nurse.

"It was the best decision I ever made, having a public health nurse visit my humble abode," Lopez said.

Just weeks after Julian was born, Lopez got a letter.

"Congratulations you've been accepted into this nursing program. And he was three weeks old. And I remember thinking, is this a joke?" Lopez said, adding that her family and a neighbor helped her through that difficult time.

"I went to school full-time. I had clinicals. I had two part-time jobs," Lopez said.

Lopez persevered, and years later, she returned to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, getting hired as a nurse with the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent health section where she had been a patient.

"A full circle moment," Lopez said. "To think, I used to have a nurse visit me, and now I'm the nurse visiting." 

Now, she has risen to become a nurse manager. She wears a butterfly perched above her work badge every day and her office is full of butterflies and a photo of her mom. 

It's a reminder, she says, of her late mother, Juanita, and a reminder of the possibilities life can hold for everyone.

"She was an orphan," Lopez said. My mother had a first grade education, not by choice. That's all she was allowed in her country, in El Salvador."

"She really made sure that we understood the value and humility of giving back in whatever way you could," Lopez said.

And in a twist of fate, Jenny's own son, who was that preemie 23 years ago, is about to graduate and follow his mom's path, becoming a nurse.

"She's worked so hard that she can do anything she puts her mind to it," said Julian Molina-Lopez.

"Since I was young, I've always looked at people and wanted to see the best in them. And even if it's their worst moment, I'm still trying to make a positive in it," Molina-Lopez said.

"I have moments when I think, how is this all possible?" Lopez said, crediting her own mom for being a good parent.

"I aspire to be the mom that she was to us," Lopez said. "I always saw her as a butterfly. she had this greater understanding of the community and always reminded me to keep an open mind."

If you're interested, you can learn more about the SF Public Health Department Field Nursing Program. 

Jana Katsuyama is a reporter for KTVU. Email Jana at jana.katsuyama@fox.com. Call her at 510-326-5529. Or follow her on Twitter @JanaKTVU and read her other reports on her bio page.