17-Year-Old Palmetto High School "Ray of Sunshine" Dies of COVID-19

PALMETTO, FL — The Palmetto community is mourning the loss of Aryana Santana, a 17-year-old high school senior who died Tuesday of COVID-19 complications.

“She was only 17 – she is still supposed to be here,” Linda Benavides, Santana’s aunt, told WFLA News.

Santana, who is remembered by her family and peers as a happy, animated, and helpful “ray of sunshine” tested positive for COVID-19 shortly before the start of her senior year at Palmetto High School. As a result, she developed pneumonia in both of her lungs, according to a GoFundMe page set up by her family. At the intensive care unit of All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Santana was unable to be incubated, and was put on an ECMO machine that oxygenated her blood.

Despite brief signs of progress, Santana succumbed to complications Tuesday morning.

“You hear stories about COVID, and you just don’t think it is going to hit your family,” Benavides told WFLA. “It is hard for all of us.”

Benavides said her niece was “always happy” and “lit up a room.”

Palmetto High School, where Santana was active with the yearbook and the JROTC, issued the following statement: “Our prayers and thoughts are with the entire Santana family, their friends and loved ones, and with the students and staff at Palmetto High School.” The school, which asked its staff not to comment any further, had grief counselors on-site Tuesday, according to WTSP-10 News.

The Santana family has been hit hard by the pandemic. Three other members of the family tested positive, including Santana’s grandfather. He was released from the hospital just before his granddaughter passed, according to the GoFundMe page.

“In this household normal life stopped but the bills did not,” the family said, asking for $15,000 to help with medical and funeral expenses. The family also noted that many of them have been unable to return to work due to lasting effects of the disease. As of Thursday afternoon, they have received $18,115 from 115 donors.

The family is also hosting a fundraiser this Sunday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Palmetto, according to a Facebook post.

Santana’s death comes at a time when COVID-19 continues to rage throughout Manatee County and Florida. Palmetto High School is reporting 151 confirmed student cases since Aug. 10, the highest in the county, and 10 staff cases, according to a county schools dashboard. Other schools are not faring much better. Parrish Community High School reports 147 student cases, while Lakewood Ranch High School reports 127. All told, the district, which allows parents to opt out of its mask mandate, reports 2380 confirmed student cases and 346 staff cases in just under a month and a half.

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