THOUSAND OAKS : Shooting Victim Has Birthday in Hospital

Celena Mendoza, who was caught in the cross-fire during a bloody gang fight in Thousand Oaks 10 days ago, celebrated her 20th birthday in the intensive care unit at Los Robles Regional Medical Center last week.

But she has had few visitors, because of security concerns.

Mendoza received death threats shortly after the shootout as she lay in the hospital recovering from a spinal injury and collapsed lung, family and friends said. Since then, the hospital has limited visitors to members of her immediate family.

She remains in serious but stable condition, and family members expect her to be transferred soon to a hospital outside Thousand Oaks for physical therapy. Although she has moved her toes since the accident, family members still fear Mendoza may be paralyzed from the waist down.

Yet they said she remains optimistic.

“She’s doing real good and she’s pretty happy, although she gets into moods sometimes with flashbacks,� her brother, Tim Mendoza, said.

Aware that she lacks medical insurance, her friends and neighbors recently established a trust fund for her. So far, they have accumulated more than $900, as residents of her apartment complex drop money in a five-gallon paint bucket in the lobby.

“It’s amazing how fast people react to a tragedy,� said Lee Knight, manager of the apartment complex. “Even little children come by and put their candy money in our collection box. And every penny’s going to go for Celena’s recovery.�

Her father, Robert Mendoza, said he was amazed.

“I didn’t think that many people cared, but . . . it seems like everyone’s concerned about Celena,� he said.