An influencer's daughter passed away on Christmas day, just one year after the mom lost another daughter.
Melissa Mae Carlton and her husband, Tom Carlton, are grieving the sudden loss of their youngest daughter, Molly.
In April 2024, the couple shared that their 9-year-old daughter, Abigail, had “unexpectedly passed over to the other side” after battling sepsis.
Highlights
- Melissa Mae Carlton lost her youngest daughter Molly suddenly on Christmas, just one year after losing her older daughter Abigail.
- Molly would often when Abigail would "come down" to be with her, Melissa shared.
- The influencer expressed that the family is "confused and shocked," adding that the two passings may be connected.
Image credits: melissamaecarlton
“There are no words to express how heartbroken and devastated we are,” Melissa wrote on social media at the time, describing Abigail as “the sweetest most loving, generous, funny girl.”
This month, Melissa shared the devastating news that her youngest daughter had also passed away.
"On Christmas morning, our sweet Molly girl, and her big sister Abi were reunited,” the mother wrote on Instagram on Friday (December 26).
Image credits: melissamaecarlton
"This is the only thing giving me even a small sense of comfort. Molly missed her sister so deeply. She would often ask me, 'Mummy, when is Jesus coming back so Abi can come down?'" she added.
The family has not revealed Molly’s age at the time of the tragedy.
Melissa, who is also a mother to Harry and Lily, shared that the family is in a profound state of “confusion and shock” following Molly’s sudden passing.
The tragedy follows the April 2024 passing of Melissa and Tom's daughter, Abigail
Image credits: melissamaecarlton
Hours after the announcement, she shared another post in which she gave further details about the tragedy.
She stated that, while the family had not been given an official diagnosis for Molly, experts hypothesized that the passing of the two sisters may be connected.
“The doctors believe Molly had a genetic heart condition and suspect this may have been the case with Abi as well,” she wrote.
Image credits: melissamaecarlton
Melissa explained that Molly was monitored in the hospital before she lost her life, which provided answers the family was never able to get when Abigail became sick.
“I’ve never felt satisfied with the answers we were given for her,” she said of Abigail’s loss, which at the time was attributed to sepsis, a widespread inflammation throughout the body triggered by an infection.
She explained that if Abigail also had the genetic condition, any "minor illness could potentially trigger a sudden cardiac event.”
Melissa shared that doctors now suspect both girls’ passings may be linked to a genetic heart condition
Image credits: melissamaecarlton
The mother, who is originally from the UK, said doctors did everything they could to save Molly’s life.
“Paramedics were stationed just three minutes away and arrived quickly. The pediatric trauma center was only fifteen minutes from where we were.
“We were in the best possible place, with everything aligned for the best conditions and the best outcome.”
Image credits: melissamaecarlton
She added that Molly’s body “fought so hard,” but doctors informed the family that her cardiac condition “is, in most cases, not survivable."
Melissa hopes her daughters’ cases will help other families who have experienced SUDC (sudden unexpected d*ath in children), a term used to describe the passing of a child aged 12 months or older that remains unexplained after a thorough investigation.
“I hope we will get more answers soon and will be doing more genetic investigation for our family now we have possibly a clearer avenue to explore,” Melissa concluded. “We are grateful for every single one of you.”
"When we lose someone, we are constantly losing them in many different ways," the mom expressed
Image credits: melissamaecarlton
On December 2, Melissa had shared a post reflecting on the grieving process following the loss of her 9-year-old, Abigail.
“I’m in [a] hard and confusing place in my grief. I’m happy but also very sad,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I heard someone say as grievers, we don’t get much. We get a funeral … and then life moves on the same as normal. But when we lose someone, we are constantly losing them in many different ways.”
Image credits: melissamaecarlton
She explained that grief doesn’t have a clear beginning or end; instead, it’s a process that leaves its mark on a person’s life. For parents who have lost their children, she said, it can feel like “burying them over and over again.”
"Some days I don’t want to wake up in this body and feel this pain again,” she said.
Melissa had shared a post about grieving Abigail's loss days before the second tragedy
Image credits: melissamaecarlton
Melissa added that her family feels incomplete without Abigail and that she wanted her Christmas celebrations to feel cozy rather than aesthetic.
“One thing child loss has taught me is that I’m done wanting my house to feel like a show home,” she captioned a since-deleted Instagram post on December 11.
“I want it cozy. Lived in. With clear evidence that children live here. I regret ever having two Christmas trees. One for us and one for the kids. From now on, the tree is the kids’ tree.”
Image credits: melissamaecarlton
After losing her second daughter on December 25, Melissa shared on Instagram, “We are 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.”
Abigail was 9 years old, while Molly's age at the time of the tragedy has not been revealed
According to the SUDC Foundation, approximately 500 children in the US pass away from SUDC each year.
A 2014 study published in the National Library of Medicine suggested that febrile seizures and a family history of febrile seizures may be markers of a process that leads to SUDC.
Social media users expressed grief over the devastating passing of the two sisters
