A sad event has happened in a community recently. An 18-year-old girl named Sienna Stewart passed away unexpectedly at her high school graduation ceremony.
Sienna had a heart transplant when she was very young, at just 8 years old. She had a condition called cardiomyopathy since she was 4 years old, which made her heart weak. The transplant helped her live a fairly normal life for 10 years, but earlier this year she started feeling unwell again.
Her mom, Saevon Chum, said Sienna had been having episodes where she would collapse. Tragically, one of these episodes happened during her graduation ceremony on May 23, 2024. Paramedics were already there trying to help when Saevon arrived.
The principal of Hiram High School asked for a moment to help Sienna when she collapsed. It was a very distressing moment for everyone there.
Sienna’s mom described how the ambulance was already on the scene when she arrived. This time, Sienna didn’t wake up after collapsing, which had never happened before.
The whole community is grieving for Sienna Stewart, remembering her as a young woman who faced health challenges with bravery.
Sienna woke up a few minutes later and decided she wanted to go to her graduation ceremony instead of going to the hospital.
“All she told me was, ‘I just want to graduate, I want to walk.’ That’s all she wanted, because she missed her prom earlier when she was in the hospital,” said her mom, Saevon.
Sadly, Sienna passed away on Wednesday, June 12, just a few weeks after getting her diploma.
“As a mom, you feel so proud because she fought through something that hurt her. You have to be proud. I was proud until the end,” Saevon said.
According to Sienna’s obituary, she had plans to go to college and study sonogram technology starting in the fall.
Rest in peace, Sienna Stewart.
100 Year olds give secret to long marriage
Joe and Ann met in 1964Joe was a young soldier on leave, and Ann was a nurse at the local hospital, working tirelessly to tend to the men who came home battered and bruised. One afternoon, they happened to sit next to each other on a rickety bench in a small park by the hospital. Joe, looking down at his boots, noticed a young woman with kind eyes and a quiet smile reading a book beside him. They struck up a conversation about the book, and Joe felt like he’d been swept away to another world, far from the war and all its chaos.
The very next day, Joe had to leave for deployment again, but before he did, they arranged to meet on that same bench, no matter where life took them. Miraculously, they both survived the war, and when Joe returned, he found Ann waiting for him on that bench, a familiar sparkle in her eyes. They shared a lifetime together, raising a family, building a home, and creating a love that would endure the tests of time.
When they retired at age 55, they made it their tradition to return to that very park every single day, to sit together on their bench. Rain or shine, they’d be there, side by side, sharing stories, laughing, or just holding hands in comfortable silence. As the years went on, people in the town started calling it “Joe and Ann’s Bench.” Young couples would stop and smile at the sight of them, seeing the kind of love they hoped to grow into one day.
Their lives were filled with seasons of change—new grandkids, old friends passing, aches and pains that came with age—but that bench stayed the same. To them, it was more than a spot in the park; it was a witness to their love story, to all the memories they’d shared there.
Now, at 100 years old, they still meet at that bench every day. Joe helps Ann with her coat, and Ann straightens Joe’s hat before they sit. They often laugh about how old they’ve gotten, and every once in a while, Ann will lean her head on Joe’s shoulder like she did in the early days. Sometimes they’re silent for long stretches, but in that silence, they feel the weight of the love they’ve built together, rich with a thousand unspoken words.
When people ask them the secret to staying in love for so long, Joe always winks and says, “Just find someone you want to sit with, forever.” Ann always smiles at him when he says this, knowing he still means it with his whole heart.
Leave a Reply