Mom and son’s careers inspired by nurses who helped after son’s premature birth

A mother and son have built a family healthcare legacy rooted in the same maternal support program that once guided them through crisis.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Single mom Jenny Lopez had a nine-year-old when her second child was born at 32 weeks. Because of the help she received through a field home visiting program for mothers — and because of her own mother’s servant heart — she became a nurse.

• Today, Lopez’s premature son, Julian, is also studying to be a nurse and is inspired by his mother’s hard work and sacrifice.

THE BACKSTORY:

Jenny Lopez was already a young mother to one child when she experienced two major shocks – the unexpected death of her own mother and the premature birth of her second son, Julian Molina-Lopez, at 32 weeks’ gestation. The experience led her to become a San Francisco public health nurse — and now, in a full-circle moment, Julian is studying to become a nurse himself at age 23. 

“I take pride in following in her footsteps, and I know that she loves it. It’s a bond that we share,” Julian remarked about his mother. “She’s worked so hard that she can do anything she puts her mind to it.”

During Lopez’s difficult circumstances all those years ago, a program for mothers — operated through the San Francisco Department of Public Health — provided the extra layer of support her family needed to thrive.

She told KTVU, “I was a single mom. 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.” 

“At that time, I found myself in the most vulnerable part of my life; the social workers and everyone who was supporting me at the hospital realized I could benefit from having a service called field home visiting program where the nurse comes directly into your home,” she said. “With that guidance, I was able to feel supported.”

That maternal support program was the impetus for Lopez’s decision to pursue nursing, and when Julian was just three weeks old, she received an acceptance letter to nursing school. “I went to school full-time. I had clinicals. I had two part-time jobs,” Lopez said. She started her career working with the very same home visiting program that sparked her journey.

Lopez also fondly credits the impact of her own mother, Juanita, with motivating her heart to serve vulnerable members of her community.

“I aspire to be the mom that she was to us… She had this greater understanding of the community and always reminded me to keep an open mind,” Lopez concluded. “She really made sure that we understood the value and humility of giving back in whatever way you could.”