A Texas teacher who received internet fame after sharing a video of her students hugging has passed away following a battle with coronavirus.
Zelene Blancas, a bilingual teacher at Dr. Sue A. Shook Elementary School in El Paso, died on Monday after being hospitalized with COVID-19 for nine weeks, reported ABC News.
The 35-year-old educator’s family had started a GoFundMe page in order to help with medical bills and detailed Zelene’s health struggles prior to her death.
"Zelene Blancas is our beloved daughter, sister, and aunt and she is also a dedicated teacher with 10 years of experience," the page reads. "Unfortunately, and despite taking all precautions possible, Zelene tested positive for COVID 19 on October 20th and had to be hospitalized on October 24th and has been in ICU since then. Zelene’s illness and critical condition brings a lot of sadness and anxiety to all who are blessed to know and care about her."
Zelene’s co-workers expressed what a giving and kind teacher she was with students and other school staff.
"She always made an effort to share kindness, whether it was with a message or a note or just reaching out to her colleagues," Principal Cristina Sanchez-Chavira told the outlet. "Just a very, very loving person."
Back in 2018, Zelene gained widespread attention after sharing a video of her students hugging each other.
"What a nice way to end our week!!" she captioned the video on Twitter.
The clip has since been viewed more than 23 million times.
"She embodied kindness," Sanchez-Chavira said about Zelene. "That's who she was."
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