Celina Minsk was a spunky 15-year-old who had a passion for dance, enjoyed sleepovers and vacations, and cherished time with her friends and family.
“She loved her friends, she loved Jesus, and she was really involved in our church,” said her mother, Mayda Minsk. “She volunteered a lot. She was fun, happy, and everyone loved her. She was such a joy.”
At 10 years old, Celina and her family moved from New England to North Carolina, with her aunt, uncle, and cousins settling right down the street. Though an only child, she never felt alone—her cousins were her siblings in every way that mattered, and their bond was unbreakable.
“She and my daughter, Grace, were inseparable,” said her aunt, Mary Cartwright. “They were only two years apart, which made their connection even stronger.”
On Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, Celina spent the day shopping with her mother, excitedly preparing for an upcoming ski trip to New England to celebrate her best friend Kiara’s birthday. Despite the miles between them, Celina and Kiara had been inseparable since Kiara was born, and the trip was a long-awaited reunion.
That evening, her father, John, brought back a bag of cookies marked “gluten-free, nut-free” from a church life group—always mindful of Celina, who had been diagnosed with a severe nut allergy as a young child. Tragically, the cookies were mistakenly labeled—and after one bite, Celina’s throat immediately began to close up.
“I called 911, but the ambulance took about 20 minutes to get there,” recalled Mayda. “The first team wasn’t certified to intubate her, so we had to wait even longer. Once your throat starts closing, the epinephrine doesn’t help. You need to get a tube down there before it’s completely closed. They finally put her in an ambulance, but shortly after, they lost her heartbeat. I looked back and I saw them surrounding her, doing compressions. By the time we got to the hospital, they had a heartbeat back, but she had lost oxygen to her brain.”
Celina’s extended family gathered around Mayda and John, offering support in their darkest moment. Among them was Celina’s aunt, Mary, who couldn’t shake the feeling that her niece had slipped away on the drive to the hospital.
“I knew she was gone,” she said. “I can’t explain it, but when we drove behind the ambulance, I felt her leave.”
While her parents clung to hope, Mary found a quiet moment to speak with one of the nurses.
“I asked if we could donate her organs, and she said, ‘it’s funny you ask me that, because I wasn’t sure how to approach it with your brother and sister-in-law.’ I told her I would take care of it,” said Mary.
On February 22, 2023, Celina was officially declared brain dead. Heartbroken but determined to honor her legacy, her parents made the courageous decision to say “yes” to organ donation.
“I’ve always been an organ donor, and it was a no-brainer for me to say yes,” said Mayda. “If we said no, what an ultimate waste. I believe in God, and that her spirit is with Him. It gave me some peace, knowing that she’s a hero and that she saved people, and I think she would have wanted to. She was so kind, honestly.”
Two months after Celina’s passing, her family received a letter from HonorBridge detailing the lives she had touched through donation. Her pancreas and left kidney gave new life to a man in his thirties, while her liver saved a grandmother in her fifties. A woman in her forties received her right kidney, and her lungs and intestines were recovered for research. Her corneas restored sight to someone in need, and her bone grafts will help heal countless others. But perhaps most poignantly, Celina’s heart—the very symbol of her kindness and love—now beats on in another teenage girl.
“When we got that letter, our whole family was in awe,” said Mary. “The reality of it is just so amazing. In my personal faith, I believe that God can turn evil into good, and it’s like He took the worst-case scenario and made it something beautiful.”
About a year later, they received a letter from Kristie Poore, the mother of Celina’s heart recipient. She told them about her daughter, Haley, who had been born with a heart defect. Without Celina’s gift, she likely wouldn’t have survived another month.
“Mayda had us all over to read the letter from Kristie, and oh my goodness, I have never heard gratitude like that,” said Mary. “We all cried. I took a picture of everyone on the day we received the letter, and in the background is a rainbow. It was really moving.”
For Mayda, hearing from her daughter’s heart recipient brought a huge sense of relief.
“It was like a weight had been lifted, knowing that her heart was still beating,” said Mayda. “It definitely gave me peace. This situation felt so special, because Haley and Celina have so much in common. Haley loves to dance, they both love hair and makeup, they’re both teenage girls. They even look alike.”
Over time, the two families connected through social media and began making plans to meet in person. On the weekend of February 21, 2025, two years after Celina’s passing, Haley’s family visited the Minsk family at their home in Fuquay-Varina, N.C.
“Meeting Haley was amazing,” said Mayda. “It was interesting, hearing their perspective. I put myself in their shoes for a second, if it was Celina needing a heart. I can’t even imagine the powerlessness they must have felt.”
Throughout the weekend, the two families bonded over a welcome party, explored the town together, and attended church. But the most profound moment came when Mayda placed a stethoscope to Haley’s chest, hearing her baby’s heart beat once more in the chest of another.
“It was incredible, hearing her heartbeat,” said Mayda. “It was surreal.”
Haley, who recently celebrated her 16th birthday, is now thriving without any complications. Since their initial meeting, the families have enjoyed a trip to the NC mountains together and continue to advocate for organ donation in whatever way they can.
“Celina saved five lives and healed many others, and that’s just amazing,” said Mayda. “Perspective is really everything. Without organ and tissue donation, all of those people would be gone. Kids could be growing up without parents, or parents could be growing up without kids. And Celina played a part in making their lives better.”
It is said that grief is simply love with no place to go—but because of donation, Celina’s family’s love has found a home with Haley—freely and unconditionally.
“Knowing what we know now, and knowing how beautiful Haley is, and how much our family loves her, it takes away the sting,” said Mary. “It’s like when you’ve been stung by a bee, and it feels like you’re being jabbed by a long, thin needle. You’re in pain, and it burns, but then someone comes and takes the sting away—and then it’s just relief.”
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