Jennifer Gallegos-Bay had the life of a normal 15-year-old before her sister became sick. A straight-A student, Gallegos-Bay pushed herself to do well in school.

“My grades defined me at that age,” she said. But when her older sister’s health began to deteriorate, Gallegos-Bay found herself caring almost full-time for her 1-year-old nephew.

Eventually, her sister’s undiagnosed and chronic illness caused her to slip into a coma. Her parents were working constantly to pay both their bills and their daughters’ bills, so daily care for her nephew fell to Gallegos-Bay.

Between visiting her sister in the hospital and caring for her nephew, Gallegos-Bay started to miss school. The days that she could return to classes were difficult.

“I didn’t understand anything that was going on, so my confidence got shot down,” she said.

Gallegos-Bay dropped out of Durango High School and enrolled in an online program, but most of her focus still fell to her nephew and her sister at home.

“Everything was so scrambled, it just wasn’t the right time,” Gallegos-Bay said. She put her high school education on hold as she struggled with severe anxiety and depression.

“My mom did not want me to drop out, and she resisted for a long time, but eventually she realized that I was not in a place emotionally where I could continue with high school,” she said.

Her mother had earned a GED herself, but always regretted dropping out of high school.

A year later, Gallegos-Bay tried to pick up where she left off, but was devastated after a failed attempt to get her GED at age 17 through the Durango Adult Education Center.

Meanwhile, she was also diagnosed with her own chronic autoimmune disorder, so she spent her time in the doctor’s office and the therapist’s office.

“It was awful,” she said.

Her anxiety and depression partly stemmed from watching her sister go through so much.

“She died and was resuscitated three times,” Gallegos-Bay said. But now, her sister is “up and well.”

While her sister will have the illness for the rest of her life, with flare-ups that incapacitate her, she is taking care of her son and doing much better. But the whole family still pitches in to help take care of them.

In the meantime, Gallegos-Bay got married and now has two daughters, Sophia and Sienna. Wanting to be better for her children, Gallegos-Bay decided to pursue the General Education Development tests for the second time. The GED tests show whether the taker has achieved high-school level academic skills, and work in lieu of a high school diploma.

“There is a beautiful phenomenon when you become a mom,” Gallegos-Bay said. “If it wasn’t for them (her children), I wouldn’t be here.”

Gallegos-Bay passed all of the GED tests on her first try in October, a month and a half after she began studying. She took only one class at the Durango Adult Education Center, and she taught herself the other subjects at night after putting her daughters to bed.

Inspired by the kind nurses who cared for her sister and were a comfort to her family, Gallegos-Bay, now 22, is enrolled in the nursing program at Pueblo Community College, which will offer both in-person and online instruction through its satellite classroom at DHS.

“I really wanted to be that change for somebody,” Gallegos-Bay said.

This time around, Gallegos-Bay is grateful for the online option for classes, so she can care for her daughters while getting her work done. She said she is also grateful for her husband, Guy Bay.

“He’s been amazing through all of this,” Gallegos-Bay said.

Gallegos-Bay was awarded a $3,300 scholarship from the Philanthropic Educational Organization, as well as a Pell Grant and a Colorado State Scholarship, which prioritizes nontraditional education paths for women.

Gallegos-Bay is one of 27 selected from 125 applicants, and she received the largest amount awarded.

“I went into it not thinking I’d be considered,” Gallegos-Bay said. “I didn’t think anyone would think my story is special.”

Now, she hopes to influence others to never sell themselves short.

“Just because something’s happened to you, don’t give up,” Gallegos-Bay said. “Eventually, your time will come.”

ehayes@durangoherald.com