More than a year after the tragic Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, the massacre has claimed two more victims.
On Valentine’s Day, 2018, nineteen-year-old expelled student Nikolas Cruz opened fire at the high school, killing 14 students, three staff members, and injuring 17 others.
The massacre became the deadliest high school shooting in U.S history, surpassing the infamous Columbine High School shooting which killed 13 students and staff members 19 years before.
The tragedy left the town shocked and heartbroken and now, nearly a year later, the people are still reeling from its effects.
On March 17, 2019, Parkland shooting survivor Sydney Aiello took her own life. Aiello was not in the building where the shooting took place but lost her close friend Meadow Pullock, who was fatally shot by Cruz.
Aiello suffered from survivor’s guilt and had recently been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Survivor’s guilt is a mental condition that affects those who survive a traumatic experience.
People who suffer from survivor’s guilt often question why they survived and their loved ones did not. They can also become consumed with the belief that they could have done something to save the people they lost, or that it is somehow their fault that others around them during the event died.
Survivor’s guilt can be a symptom of the larger, underlying mental disorder PTSD. Other symptoms of PTSD include nightmares and flashbacks of the traumatic events, avoidance of situations that trigger memories of the event and severe anxiety.
Aiello was a student at Florida Atlantic University and was struggling because of her PTSD. She did not feel safe in a classroom.
Less than a week after Aiello’s death, current Stoneman Douglas student Calvin Diser died of an apparent suicide.
Desir was only 15-years-old when he survived the shooting, and although there has been no confirmation that he suffered from the same mental health issues that Aiello did, the people of Parkland, FL are coming together to destroy the stigma on mental health.
The high school has supplied resources such as counseling to students and families who might need them. The town of Coral Springs (which is where Calvin Desir lived) hosted a mental health and suicide prevention meeting on Wednesday.
Ryan Petty, whose daughter, Aliana, was killed in the shooting last year, is speaking out and encouraging parents to talk to their kids about their mental health.
He recommends parents use the Columbia Protocol to see if their child may be having suicidal thoughts by asking questions like, “Have you ever thought of going to sleep and never waking up?” and “Have you ever thought about hurting yourself?” followed up with “Have you thought about how you might accomplish it?”
Finally, other students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are reaching out and encouraging each other to be vulnerable with what they are feeling, talking to their peers and reminding others that just because you think you should be better by now, it’s okay if you’re not.
The people of Parkland, FL are doing what they can to let students know that they can get the help they need and that although they are struggling, this world needs them in it.
If you or someone you know is at risk for suicide, you can get help by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Mackenzie Tkach
Reporter