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By Elisha Fieldstadt
Sydney Aiello, a student who survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school shootout in Parkland, Fla., And who graduated last year, committed suicide on weekends last, announced officials.
She was 19 years old.
Aiello was a close friend of Meadow Pollack, one of the victims of the large-scale shootings of February 14, 2018 in a school that claimed the lives of 14 students and three staff members.
"The beautiful Sydney with such a future has been removed too soon," said Pollack's brother Hunter on Twitter.
According to Heather A. Gálvez of the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office, Aiello died from a gunshot wound to the head.
"The death of Sydney Aiello is tragic, shocking and heartbreaking, and certainly at least in large part as a result of the training effect of the MSD shootings," according to a statement from Pollack's family.
A GoFundMe account created for Aiello's family said the teenager's passions were cheerleaders, yoga and "illuminating the time of others".
Aiello, a graduate of Stoneman Douglas in 2018, had plans to get into the medical field, the site said.
But her mother, Cara, told CBS Miami that her daughter was having trouble attending school because classrooms were now scary.
Cara Aiello testified that her daughter was guilty of the survivor's guilt and had recently been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Dr. Victor Schwartz, Medical Director of the Jed Foundation, a non-profit organization that focuses on monitoring the emotional health of adolescents and young adults and on suicide prevention, said that "the exhibition to death around you slightly increases the risk of suicide. "
"It goes without saying that there is an increased risk around the guilt of the victim," he said.
"Parkland students have done incredible work advocating for gun safety, but sadness and distress are still present, and I'm sure many of these students still have PTSD-like symptoms," he said. -he declares. "And how could they not be?"
He added that changes, such as going to college or getting a job, as do many Stoneman Douglas survivors, can be particularly difficult for traumatized young adults.
"They and their families and support systems need to be aware of potential risks," such as transitional periods, family illnesses, and anniversaries of the tragedy, he said.
Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, President and CEO of the Broward County Childhood Services Council, told NBC News that "many trauma services have been made available to Stoneman Douglas survivors."
Seltzer said the diversity of resources, both by the school district and by external agencies, has sometimes made it difficult for victims to know exactly where to turn, but information is available via Broward 211.
In an effort to further help the community after the shooting, Seltzer said, the Children's Services Council recently opened Eagle's Haven, a wellness center specifically designed for students, teachers and parents of Stoneman Douglas .
Schwartz said relatives of trauma victims should closely monitor problems with sleep and concentration, erratic moods, increased hopelessness, compulsive habits and addictions.
Relatives should monitor the victims and encourage them to seek help, but be careful not to treat them as "time bombs," he said.
"You want to be a little more vigilant about what they feel, their state of mind and how they work," Schwartz advised. "It makes sense."
If you or any of your acquaintances are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, send a TALK message to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
Caroline Radnofsky and Shamar Walters contributed.
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