A Gift of Stories: Family Honors Jena-Marie Through Books

A book can be a powerful gift, transporting the reader from reality into a new world. Places like Dr. Seuss’s Whoville, J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts, and A.A. Milne’s Hundred Acre Wood, where Christopher Robin shared adventures with Winnie the Pooh, remind us that anything is possible and that life is better with a bit of magic.

On August 28, 2025, Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center’s state-of-the-art, 53-bed Level IIIb Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) received a surprise donation. The Jena-Marie Literacy Project, a nonprofit founded in memory of Jena-Marie Ortiz, donated nearly 150 books in her honor. Jena-Marie, a 23-year-old from La Verne, passed away in a car accident in February 2025.

The books were shared with families in our NICU, Pediatric Inpatient Care Unit and Children’s Outpatient Clinic, giving the gift of stories to enjoy in the hospital and treasures to bring home.

Together with Jena-Marie’s mother, Maria, father, Mario, and sister, Sofia, the family founded Jena-Marie’s Literacy Project to carry on her legacy. They describe her as someone who rarely went anywhere without a book. She loved fantasy and “romantasy” series and even had tattoos inspired by her favorite authors and book quotes. “She was always reading—even at baseball games, she would bring a book and sit and read,” said Mario Ortiz.

They also built a free neighborhood library outside their home, called Jena’s Little Library, so neighbors can borrow and share books just as Jena-Marie loved to do. “By sharing her love of books, people will learn about her and her story,” Maria said. “With every donation, more people will know her name and how much she loved reading. We just want to keep her name and memory alive—she was such a bright light.”

Mario added that the family’s mission is twofold: to promote literacy and to provide comfort to families facing hardship. “We want to promote literacy for all ages, but also provide comfort to families experiencing crises, like we did,” he said. “If we can help families cope with loss, that is our goal.”

The idea for this donation came through Jena-Marie’s lifelong best friend, Delanie Medina, RN, a nurse in our Emergency Department. Medina suggested that donating books to our smallest patients would be a meaningful way to honor Jena-Marie’s passion. Soon after, the family posted on Instagram, calling for donations, and they began pouring in. Deliveries arrived daily — many of them titles she had loved — and the post reached more than 30,000 views.

As the books make their way into the hands of patients, Maria hopes families will see them as more than just stories. “By reading to your child, you encourage literacy,” she said. “Find beauty in the pages you share together. That’s what Jena would have wanted.”

The Jena-Marie Project book donation is a true testament to the power of love and reading. To learn more about the Jena-Marie Literacy Project and follow their journey, visit @jenamarieliteracyproject on Instagram.