Faith-based influencer Melissa Mae Carlton has revealed the heartbreaking death of her youngest daughter, Molly, less than two years after her older daughter, Abigail, died suddenly.
Melissa opened up about the loss in an emotional Instagram post, telling her followers that her family is “devastated. In disbelief. Confused and in shock".
"We are exhausted and shaken after a day filled with trauma and heartbreak. I feel numb. I cannot yet accept that this is real. I am not ready for this pain," she continued.
The grief-stricken mother revealed that Molly, who tragically passed on Christmas Day, had long expressed how much she missed her sister, finding a small sense of comfort in the belief that they’re now reunited.
“This is the only thing giving me even a small sense of comfort,” she wrote. “Molly missed her sister so deeply. She would often ask me, ‘Mummy, when is Jesus coming back so Abi can come down?’”
Doctors suspect genetic heart condition linked both deaths
In a follow-up post, the grieving mom shared more insight into Molly’s sudden passing.
She revealed that doctors believe she may have suffered from a genetic heart condition - a condition that might also have played a role in Abigail’s death.
“I hesitate to share a medical update already because we still don’t have an official diagnosis, but I do feel it’s important to let people know that we have some answers this time,” she wrote.
Molly’s condition was identified during her brief time in hospital - something that wasn’t possible for Abigail, who passed away before she could be evaluated. “I’ve never felt satisfied with the answers we were given for her,” Melissa admitted.
The family believes that if Abigail had the same undetected condition, “any minor illness could potentially trigger a sudden cardiac event.”
On Christmas morning, Melissa said, Molly was rushed to a pediatric trauma center just fifteen minutes away, and paramedics happened to be stationed only three minutes from their location.
“Her little body fought so hard, but we’ve been told that this type of cardiac event is, in most cases, not survivable," she penned.
Coping with grief and honoring their daughters
Molly’s age has not been publicly shared, but Abigail was just nine years old when she died.
Her sudden death came just hours after she began complaining of stomach pain and vomiting - symptoms Melissa and her husband Tom initially believed were a routine bug. “Within three hours, Abigail was gone,” the mom recalled earlier this year.
Since then, Melissa has been open about her grief journey and how it’s reshaped her family’s holidays and daily life.
“I miss her so much,” she wrote, cited by Daily Mail. “This is our second Christmas without her, and while I’ve been running on a lot of spiritual morphine, my body is finally catching up to the reality and permanence of it all.”
She now embraces more meaningful traditions in memory of Abi, like making “Abi angels,” hanging her handmade ornaments, and displaying her old pajamas: “One thing child loss has taught me is that I’m done wanting my house to feel like a show home. I want it cozy. Lived in. With clear evidence that children live here.”
Our thoughts are with Melissa and her loved ones at this time.