IIliana Treviño.Photo: courtesy Jessica Trevino
IIliana Treviño, a fourth grader at Robb Elementary School, lost her best friend, Amerie Jo Garza, in last month’s mass shooting at the Uvalde, Texas, school.
According to IIliana’s mother, Amerie, 10, would protect IIliana, 11, from school bullies. After visiting Amerie’s memorial last week, Iliana’s heart rate spiked. Her mother rushed her to the hospital, where doctors told her IIliana had been on the verge of having a heart attack. More than a week later, she remains hospitalized.
“I think it’s just from a broken heart that we need to work on healing,” Jessica Treviño, 40, tells PEOPLE, adding that her daughter had no previous medical issues that might have predicted this.
“Everything just broke her in half, and she feels the fear of being bullied again,” she says.
On the day of the shooting, Illiana escaped physically unscathed after the gunman walked past her fourth grade classroom. But Amerie was shot as she tried to dial 911 on her cell phone, according to Amerie’s grandmother, Berlinda Arreola. When Illiana saw Amerie’s face on the news as one of the fatal victims, “she just started screaming and crying,” Jessica tells PEOPLE.
IIliana and Jessica Treviño.courtesy Jessica Trevino
Last Tuesday, Jessica took her daughter downtown to leave a teddy bear and flowers at the memorial for Amerie.
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Afterward, Illiana didn’t feel right. Her heart was racing, and she told her mother she’d never felt that way before.
“The hospital told me, ‘Your daughter’s going into cardiac arrest.’ And I said, ‘What?'” Jessica remembers. “Her heart [rate] skyrocketed because she couldn’t take the trauma … all the trauma and pain from it.”
Illiana was transferred to a hospital in San Antonio, where she remains. She has been moved out of the ICU but she hasn’t been discharged yet. Doctors tell Jessica that IIliana is showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and acute stress from the trauma she suffered. Her heart is being constantly monitored, her mother says.
“Her body was basically shutting down completely. It couldn’t take it,” Jessica says. “Her body was basically reacting to the shock.”
Jessica says Illiana was bullied at school, and that she’s now terrified to return, partially because Amerie won’t be there.
“Amerie made her feel safe and made her feel okay to go to school,” Jessica says.
Amerie Jo Garza.Courtesy Berlinda Arreola
She adds, “Amerie’s parents did an amazing job raising such a beautiful little love. It’s so sad how things work out in life, because it’s not fair. It really isn’t fair that any of these children lost their lives, but it just really breaks me more because I know how much this child did for my child.”
Jessica says the trauma of the event will stay with her daughter for a long time: “She is still dealing with some hard issues. And it’s a long road to recovery.”
“She will have to be constantly monitored,” Jessica adds. “I’m so worried. I pray daily.”
The family has launched aGoFundMe pageto help with expenses.
source: people.com
