UKRAINIAN VILLAGE — Janiya Hines, an outgoing Columbus Elementary School 7th grader described as full of personality and a "huggy person" at the Ukrainian Village school, has died.
Hines dreamed of becoming a nurse just like her stepdad, her mom Jamila Spencer said.
"She loved helping people, that was her. It could be people, animals — her cat KeKe, she just wanted them all to be OK," Spencer said.
Born on July 13, 2003 at Northwestern Hospital and raised in North Lawndale and most recently in Austin, Janiya died last Wednesday. She was 13.
Spencer said her daughter collapsed in the shower on May 8 and was later pronounced brain dead due to lack of oxygen caused by cardiac arrest.
"She never had any health issues outside of a slight heart murmur we were told was common and she'd grow out of eventually," Spencer said.
Janiya's stepdad Marcus Bolden created a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for Janiya's visitation and funeral, scheduled for Thursday and Friday. So far, it has raised $3,865 from 44 funders. Donate here.
The second oldest of five siblings and preceded in death by her sister, A'jayna, in 2015, Janiya served as "a conscience" for her two sisters, brother and 11 cousins, her aunt Brittany King said.
"Janiya was the person to yell at the other kids to do the right thing, if they were being sneaky and not listening to mom and dad," King said.
A candlelight vigil at the school last Saturday and hearing the girl's classmates talk about the impact Janiya made on their lives has helped the family heal from what King says has been "a shocking and terrible, questioning-God type of situation."
A conversation Spencer had with her daughter will end up helping three strangers whose lives will be saved by Janiya's organs, including a 51-year-old man in need of a pancreas.
"I was renewing my drivers license about six months ago and my oldest daughter Makalia picked it up and was looking at it and was like, 'Aww you gonna donate your organs? I wouldn't want nobody walking around with my organs!'. And then Janiya said, 'Mom I would do that just like you and donate my organs to help somebody else if I could," Spencer said.
"We had that conversation for a reason. I want her to live through someone else, and I want as many people as possible to know about her. She was a beautiful person," Spencer said, breaking into tears.
Wendy Oleksy, principal of Columbus Elementary School, 1003 N. Leavitt St. said the school community is mourning Janiya, who "knew everyone."
"She was friends with everyone, the custodial staff, the lunch room manager, just full of personality, full of love, a very huggy person," Oleksy said.
Oleksy said the school is smaller than most CPS schools and, as a result, its students forge close relationships. Some 20 of the 30 students in Janiya's 7th grade classroom having been together since kindergarten.
"She certainly was a presence, her personality was very strong. You knew how she was feeling every minute of every day, whether a good mood or bad mood. She was fearless and not afraid of any adult ever. She would fight for what she felt was right and would have conversations with adults like an adult would," Oleksy said.
In addition to her mom and stepfather, Hines is survived by her 14-year-old sister Makila, a Columbus Elementary School 8th grader, a 6-year-old sister Alejancrina and 1-year-old baby brother Jason, 11 cousins, grandparents Debra and Roland King, a grandmother Marlene Scott, and aunts Brittany, Jasmine and Denise.
Janiya's family will host a 10 a.m. wake and 11 a.m. funeral on Friday at Destiny Worship Center, 5510 W. Chicago Ave. The burial will be at 2 p.m. Friday in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Hillside.
