Parkland Shooting Survivor Commits Suicide After Suffering From PTSD

A Majory Stoneman Parkland student who survived the Parkland shooting has committed suicide.

Sydney Aiello, 19, was a recent graduate who was at the school the same day as domestic terrorist Nikolas Cruz, who fatally shot 17 people in a mass shooting in the South Florida high school. Aiello was described as a “joy” by teachers. However, it seems her joy became lost after her close friend Meadow Pollack died in the shooting. Aiello’s mother told ABC News 10, the teen felt survivor’s guilt and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder following the attack.

When Aiello went to college, Aiello’s mother explained that the teen would struggle sitting in classrooms. However now, in her death, her mother hopes her daughter’s story can help others. “It breaks my heart that we’ve lost yet another student from Stoneman Douglas,” Ryan Petty, daughter died in Parkland Shooting, said. Petty advises parents to stay alert when it comes to kids who have experienced trauma. “My advice to parents is to ask questions, don’t be afraid. Don’t wait.”

President and CEO of the Children’s Services Council of Broward County, Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, shared the same feelings and informed students about resources and the suicide hotline. “Parents have to be a little more aggressive when they see those signs and not just wait for the child to ask for help but maybe to take them to those resources,” Seltzer said.

The Aiello family set up a GoFund in the teen’s memory.