A community is grieving after an 18-year-old high school student collapsed and died during her graduation ceremony. Sienna Stewart, who had heart failure, was diagnosed in April. She had a heart transplant ten years ago and had been dealing with serious heart issues since she was four. She started showing symptoms earlier this year.
After her heart transplant, the young woman had a “relatively normal life” for ten years. However, she then started to feel weak and slow down.
Her mother, Saevon Chum, said that her daughter had several episodes of collapsing, including one at her graduation ceremony on Thursday, May 23, 2024.
In a video shared by the school, the principal of Hiram High School can be heard asking for a moment, saying, “Please, give us a second. We have a student. Just give us a second.”
When Saevon arrived, paramedics were already helping her daughter. “The ambulance was there when I got there,” her mother recalled. “She had collapsed. She had another episode, but this was the first time she had lost consciousness.”
Sienna woke up a few minutes later and decided to stay for her graduation instead of going to the hospital.
Her mother, Saevon, said Sienna just wanted to graduate and walk across the stage, especially since she had already missed her senior prom due to being in the hospital.
Sadly, Sienna passed away on Wednesday, June 12, just a few weeks after graduating.
Saevon said, “As a mother, you feel proud because she faced so much pain and still managed to achieve her goal. I was proud of her until the very end.”
