WINCHESTER, Ky. (LEX 18) — A life-long bond is hard to break and that proves true between neonatal intensive care unit nurse Heather Johnson and one of her patients. Now, 18 years later, she's attending that patient's high school graduation.
Brooklyn Allgood graduated from George Rogers Clark High School on Friday, surrounded by her family and surprise guest, her NICU nurse Heather Johnson.
"While I was in high school, I did dual credit, so I already have a year of my associates out of the way. So I'm going to go to BCTC for one year to get my associate's in nursing," explains Brooklyn.
But Brooklyn doesn't plan to be just any kind of nurse, she wants to go the NICU route inspired by Johnson's career looking after her as a pre-mature baby and being a part of every major life event since.
"Birthdays, graduations, family vacations, we've done a lot together," says Johnson.
Brooklyn describes it as" really special, really heartwarming. I had no idea she was going to be here; it was all a planned surprise."
"Brooklyn's mom texted me and told me that she was graduating. She was like, it would be really cool if you could be there," Johnson describes. "I said, you just tell me when and I will make it happen."
Johnson isn't the only person behind Brooklyn's career inspiration, her twin sister Jaden Grace is too.
"I had a twin sister and she passed away when we were in the NICU and I've always still felt kind of connected with her in a way," Brooklyn recalls.
The family agrees. Her sister has been like a guardian angel over Brooklyn's shoulder all her life. Heather also looked after Jaden Grace before her passing.
"She had a 13 or 14 percent chance of survival and then they told us that if she did survive that she would have developmental delays," Michelle Allgood, Brooklyn's mom, recalls. "But the day that her sister passed, Brooklyn did a 360 for the better."
"And I wanted to include her [twin sister] in my graduation so it would be like we're both graduating," explains Brooklyn. "It's very nice and heartwarming to know that Heather took care of my sister while she was still here."
Brooklyn even decorated and dedicated her graduation cap to her sister. It reads, 'This one's for you sis' with the 'you' decorated in angel wings. The rest of the cap is bordered with white and red flowers and includes a tassel with a picture of her sister as a baby.
While her sister will forever be a part of her life, Johnson will, too. Both will walk alongside Brooklyn every step of the way.
"We trusted her (Heather) and knew that she was going to be able to take care of our baby," says Darin Allgood, Brooklyn's dad.
“It’s awesome because I’ve been here with the journey and heard the stories and see behind the scenes that no one else gets to see," explains Sebastian Allgood, Brooklyn's younger brother. "To see her mature into an amazing young woman, that’s going to be going into the next chapter of her life. It’s just an amazing thing to watch and I’m proud to share it with her.”
Johnson expresses both her gratitude and love for Brooklyn, "I'm so happy that I've been able to be a part of them and watch you grow and watch you continue to grow."
Brooklyn says her goal is to work in North Carolina at the same hospital where Johnson is a nurse and hopefully work alongside her.
