Pennsylvania teen who dreamed of being life coach and loved BTS died of COVID

A Pennsylvania high school is mourning the loss of one of its own to COVID-19.

Alayna Thach was a 17-year-old senior at Olney Charter High School in Philadelphia. She died this week after contracting the virus a week before, according to media outlets and family.

After contracting the virus, Alayna developed pneumonia and experienced “severe brain damage” from hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen, a GoFundMe page says.. Her heart and lungs collapsed, and she also experienced damage to other organs, according to her GoFundMe.

Alayna was a cheerful teenager who loved to sing and wanted to become a life coach. She was also a straight-A student, a member of her school’s photography club and debate team, and a big fan of the K-Pop group BTS, her obituary said. .

Alayna’s aunt, Hien Yem, said her niece was “the most caring child ever” and “such a bright young lady,” CBS Philadelphia reported.

Hien also told CBS Philadelphia that her niece’s case seemed pretty mild at first.

“She was fine,” Hien said. “She was, like, alert. She was communicating with me with no clear respiratory issues and she was walking around.”

Hien urged others to get vaccinated -- Alayna’s parents are both fully vaccinated, and Alayna was scheduled to get her vaccine in January, CBS reported.

The school’s principal, James O. Thompson Sr., addressed Alayna’s passing in a statement to the school’s community, Fox 29 reported.

“We know that this loss will be felt deeply by both staff and students and this loss will be felt long after today and for many more days to come,” Thompson said in the statement. “We also know that the school needs time and space to grieve and as such we are ensuring that the counseling and psychological services staff is available throughout this week to support any who need it.”

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health also expressed its condolences to Alayna’s family and friends in a statement.

“We were saddened to learn that a Philadelphia child has died from COVID-19,” the statement said. “Every life lost to this pandemic has been a tragedy, but hearing that this terrible disease may have taken someone so young is heartbreaking.”

The GoFundMe page, created to help with Alayna’s funeral costs, had raised more than $22,000 as of Dec. 17. Alayna’s funeral services will be held on Dec. 18.