Lucy Devine
A teenager has died after collapsing at her high school graduation.
Sienna Stewart, 18, was attending her graduation at Hiram High School in Georgia when she fell unconscious during the ceremony.
Following the incident, Sienna regained consciousness and asked her mom to let her walk along the stage.
In photos, she can be seen smiling and shaking the hand of one of the school officials.
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But tragically, just weeks on from the event and Sienna's mom, Saevon Chum, confirmed that her daughter had passed away after a second collapse.
Saevon explained that her daughter was diagnosed with severe cardiomyopathy at the age of four.
Sienna had been able to get a heart transplant when she was eight, but in April this year, she was diagnosed with heart failure.
"Her heart transplant heart was getting sick. It was getting weak and slowing down," said Saevon, explaining this had led to her daughter falling unwell at the ceremony.
"When I got there, the ambulance was already there. She had collapsed. She had had another episode.
"But this was the first time she collapsed unconscious."
Saevon explained that her daughter had begged her to let her walk along the stage despite having suffered the collapse just moments earlier.
"All she could tell me is, ‘I just want to graduate, I want to walk.' That's all she wanted, because she already missed her prom, because before then she was in the hospital and missed her senior prom," the heartbroken mom explained.
Tragically, just two weeks later and Sienna collapsed again.
"You’re just holding your daughter, your child, and you have to do that 911 call not knowing if your daughter's going to wake up or not," said Saevon.
A few days later and Sienna sadly passed away in hospital.
"They asked if I’d known that she'd had a sick heart for a while. I say ‘yes,’ but you know, you're never going to be ready to lose your child," the mom continued.
"As a mom, you feel so proud because she just fought through something that hurts her. You have to be proud. Till the end, I was proud."
A GoFundMe has since been set up to help Sienna's family following their loss. It has so far raised over $10,000.
The GoFundMe explains: "On June 12, 2024 we lost our babygirl Sienna Chum Stewart.
"Sienna who had just turned 18 just a couple weeks prior was a vibrant young woman who fought hard and daily for the last 18 years nonstop.
"If you knew anything about SiSi her laughs were contagious, her smile was always on display and her energy was unmatched. She was truly 1/1. (inside joke for her friends)."
The page continues: "She was a bright light with a bubbly personality that could lift anyones spirits.
"Her kindness and warmth touched everyone who knew her and her story would inspire those who didn’t. Sienna had just graduated from Hiram High in May, planning to attend college in the Fall.
"Sisi leaves behind her two older siblings & mommy."