FAU student who survived Stoneman Douglas shooting dies by suicide
Sydney Aiello had survivor’s guilt and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder before her death.
Sydney Aiello was 19 when she died. Photo courtesy of Facebook
March 27, 2019
Sydney Aiello, a freshman at FAU and survivor of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (MSD), took her own life on Sunday, Mar. 17 — about a month after the shooting’s one year mark.
The 19-year-old was close friends with shooting victim Meadow Pollack, and had been suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor’s guilt, according to CNN. She was also having trouble attending classes at FAU because classrooms had become terrifying after the shooting. Aiello was laid to rest in Davie on Friday, Mar. 22.
“The death of Sydney Aiello is tragic, shocking and heartbreaking, and surely at least in significant part the result of the ripple effect of the MSD shooting,” the Pollack family said in a public statement, according to NBC.
Aiello was a bubbly person whose passions were yoga and cheerleading. She was always saying hello to fellow students in the hallways, according to an anonymous former history teacher at MSD. She planned to go into the medical field after graduation.
Check back with the UP next week for Sydney Aiello’s full obituary.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.
Hope Dean is the news editor of the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet her @hope_m_dean.
