Celia Vega-Penichet says goodbye to a particularly complicated year in terms of health. Ana Obregón ‘s niece has lived a 2025 marked by admissions, complex diagnoses and constant physical and emotional exhaustion. The last episode, which occurred in the middle of Christmas Eve, was the most frightening for her and the one that took her to the hospital as an emergency, an experience that she herself has decided to share publicly.
As she explained to her followers, Celia suffers from “a complex viral-bacterial condition that causes chronic immune depletion and dysregulation”, in addition to “a neuroimmune and inflammatory response that affects several systems at once”. With this background, any symptom takes on a different dimension, something that was evident in the scare experienced last December 24.
“A different kind of Christmas” marked by fear
“A different kind of Christmas. This is how Celia Vega-Penichet defined this year’s festivities, far removed from the usual image of quiet family celebrations. As she recounted, the plan was simple: to arrive at her mother’s house, Celia García Obregón, prepare dinner together and share the evening calmly. However, her body had other plans.
“On the 24th, I arrived at my mother’s house to prepare dinner together and have a quiet dinner, but my body had other plans,” she began. As soon as she arrived, she noticed that something wasn’t right. She described a general malaise that escalated rapidly and left no room for doubt.
Among the first symptoms, he detailed “general malaise, headache, dizziness and a feeling that I feel regulinchi”. Far from subsiding, the symptoms worsened in a matter of minutes: “Vomiting, very high fever, chills and brutal joint pain”, a combination that already pointed to a serious situation.
Alarming symptoms and decision to go to the emergency room
The turning point came with a series of neurological and respiratory symptoms that set off all the alarm bells. “Suddenly, my fingers became stiff and claw-like, it was hard to breathe and I lost sensation in my face and feet,” she said. It was then, following her mother’s advice, that she decided to go to the emergency room.
The drive to the hospital was all but erased from his memory. “Emergency room on Christmas Eve. I don’t even remember the cab ride. I was shaking, delirious and struggling to stay conscious,” she explained, attesting to the gravity of the moment.
Once in the hospital, the situation was no less intense. Celia described scenes of great physical and emotional hardship: “Screams of pain, finally getting an IV, my body and face rigid, freezing cold”. In the midst of this state, her mind clung to one idea to resist: “My mind kept repeating a single mantra: Pain is relative”.
Appreciation for healthcare personnel on a key night
Despite the fear and suffering, Celia wanted to emphasize her “infinite gratitude” to the healthcare personnel who attended her in one of the most delicate moments of the year, Christmas Eve. An explicit recognition to those who were by her side when she was at her lowest point.
His initial wish was to return home as soon as possible, but medical tests ruled out that possibility. The tests revealed a more complex picture than expected, forcing prolonged medical care.
“Leukocytosis with neutrophilia, electrolyte disturbances, systemic inflammation and a blood infection with no clear focus,” he listed, before offering a more understandable explanation for his followers: “Translation: my body partying and me not knowing it.”
One year stringing together health problems
This episode was not an isolated event in a particularly hard year. Celia herself recalled that her body had been sending alarm signals for weeks. “The week before, angina that forced me to cancel starting treatment for the Lyme disease I was diagnosed with at the end of September,” she explained.
Before that, he had suffered another serious episode: “The week before that, acute pyelonephritis, another admission”. A succession of medical problems that help to understand the accumulated wear and tear and the fragility of his state of health in the final stretch of the year.
Living with Lyme disease
In this context, Celia Vega-Penichet gave a name to the disorder that conditions her daily life. “I live – and will live – with Lyme disease. It is complex, multisystemic and uncooperative,” she stated clearly.
He also wanted to focus on the difficulty of diagnosis in Spain: “In Spain it is hardly known and difficult to diagnose”. As he explained, living with this disease means facing a changing and unpredictable reality.
She herself defined it as “a roller coaster: bad days, great days… and changes in a matter of hours. Great”, a phrase that sums up the physical and emotional instability involved in this pathology.
Learnings, diagnosis and a resilient attitude
Despite the hard road ahead, Celia emphasized the value of having reached a diagnosis. For her, knowing what is going on in her body has been a starting point for rethinking many things. “I have learned to listen to my body and to question deep-rooted ideas: resting is not giving up and Celia is not equivalent to her productivity,” she reflected.
A message that goes beyond the medical and connects with a different way of understanding self-care and personal limits, especially in a society that values constant activity.
Far from closing her story with sadness, Ana Obregón’s niece wanted to send an optimistic and grateful message to those who accompany her. Thanking all those who support her, she was in good spirits and without losing her characteristic sense of humor: “But… let’s see, I’m fine, and full of motivation! As always, more and better and always with a great sense of humor”.
Thus, Celia Vega-Penichet brings to an end a year marked by scares and uncertainty, but also by learning, resilience and the determination to move forward, even when the body forces you to slow down.
