A teenage girl in California killed herself after she reportedly struggled to cope with the state’s stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Jo’Vianni Smith, 15, of Stockton, was found dead inside her home after she hanged herself last week.
A coach at Jo’Vianni’s school, Bear Creek High School, told Recordnet that ‘the cause of death reportedly was due to the stresses and pressures from coping with the self-isolation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.’
Her mother, Danielle Hunt, is devastated.
‘We can’t think that our kids are OK just because … I felt that I was doing all that I could as a parent to leave the communication open,’ Hunt told Fox 40, adding that Jo’Vianni did not leave a note behind.
Hunt described her daughter as ‘bubbly,’ ‘loving,’ and the light of her world.
‘It’s like, how do you explain a girl like her? If you met her one time, like, she made an impact in your life,’ she said.
Jo’Vianni, a sophomore this year, was also a stellar student athlete who played softball, basketball and played music.
One of Jo’Vianni’s former softball coaches shared a heartbreaking note after he learned of her death.
‘Her name is Jo’Vianni “Jo” SmithJo was a great athlete… [she] was a bright star with a great personality and a huge heart. and a bright future,’ he told Extra Inning Softball.
‘It’s been extremely hard to relate to what these kids are going through. I have daily conversations with my 2 high schoolers and encourage them to reach out to their friends and teammates. I can’t imagine what Jo was going through…’
Family and friends of Jo’Vianni took to social media to share sweet tributes after news of her passing reached the community. Bear Creek athletics said Jo’Vianni was known for her ‘joyful spirit.’
The Lodi Unified School District released a statement regarding Jo’Vianni’s death.
‘We were deeply saddened to learn of Jo’Vianni Smith’s passing. Jo’vianni was well loved by the Bear Creek High community,’ the statement read.
‘The participated in band, played basketball and softball, and was known for her joyful spirit on campus. She will be dearly missed by those who knew her.’
In addition to Jo’Vianni, education officials said two other students also committed suicide.
Now, Hunt hopes to raise awareness about suicide and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic -which has infected 534,242 Americans and killed 20,637.
‘I will still do my best to tell my daughter’s story,’ said Hunt.
Hunt added that parents should talk to their children and help them navigate any emotions they have during the pandemic, even if they seem cheerful.
‘Sometimes we may need to stop and worry about the kids that we don’t think we need to worry about,’ she said.
Jorge Fernandez, the director of behavioral health for Golden Valley Health Centers , said resources for mental health are available during the pandemic.
‘There are services out there. You can reach out to your medical provider. You can call a local suicide hotline…there’s help out there to help you cope with this pandemic that’s going on right now,’ he said.
A GoFundMe has been created to help Jo’Vianni’s family with memorial arrangements and financial strain.
The family announced that any additional money would go towards a scholarship fund for female athletes ‘who aspire to play at a college level but may be experiencing hardships in their lives.’
This comes after a Kaiser Family Foundation report found people’s mental health is being challenged during the outbreak.
Women appeared to be suffering at higher rates then men, as 53 percent said that coronavirus-related stressors had a negative affect on their mental health.
Gov. Gavin Newsom became the first governor to create mandatory stay-at-home orders on March 19.
Although social distancing efforts have stopped California from eclipsing epicenters like New York, health officials told residents that they needed to continue emergency orders to curb infections.
California’s COVID-19 website said stay-in-place orders will continue until further notice. Los Angeles County announced it would extend such orders through May 15.
Meanwhile, California has faced challenges in assembling enough testing sites and facilities are backlogged with results.
‘He said: ‘The testing space has been a challenging one for us and I own that. And I have a responsibility as your governor to do better and do more testing in the state of California.’
‘I own that, you deserve better and more,’ he added.
The state’s 22nd testing site was opened Friday and a second walk-in test site in South LA is being planned.
In California, there are around 20,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 609 subsequent deaths.