When Your Child's Diagnosis Becomes Your Calling

Advocacy at Work · Apr 30, 2026 · 22m

How one mother's determination to help her son led to saving lives across San Diego—and why small, local victories matter as much as Capitol Hill battles.

January 10th, 2019. That’s the date Jessica Cella’s life changed forever.

Her youngest son was diagnosed with primary adrenal insufficiency at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. The diagnosis came with a sentence that would stay with her: “rare condition.” And then came the kicker that would fuel years of advocacy work: the hospital told her that if her son went into an adrenal crisis, San Diego Fire Rescue paramedics couldn’t give him…