Melissa Mae Carlton says she and husband Tom Carlton have received a diagnosis for their late daughter Molly, about four months after the child’s shocking Christmas morning death.
The tragedy came less than two years after their daughter Abigail died at the age of nine in April 2024, with sepsis cited as the foremost cause.
‘We have learned that Molly had a rare genetic mitochondrial condition called PPA2,’ Carlton said, ‘and we are almost certain Abigail had it as well.’
Carlton explained to more than 152,000 followers about the ailment she believes claimed the lives of two of her four children.
‘It’s not a structural heart issue, but a failure of energy at the cellular level, which can cause sudden cardiac events in children who otherwise appear completely healthy,’ Carlton said.
Carlton said the condition ‘is considered extremely rare, but it is also significantly under-tested,’ and one she thinks is overlooked by the medical community.
Influencer Melissa Mae Carlton says she and husband Tom Carlton have received a diagnosis for their late daughter Molly, about four months after her shocking Christmas morning death
Carlton said her late daughter Molly ‘had a rare genetic mitochondrial condition called PPA2’
‘I believe there are many sudden, unexplained child deaths that go undiagnosed,’ said Carlton, who shares daughter Lily and son Harry with her spouse of 14 years.
The content creator said that ‘most families only learn about PPA2 after a tragedy and that needs to change.’
Carlton said that her family is ‘still in the middle of testing’ and would ‘appreciate your prayers as we wait for those results.’
The time was right ‘to share what has been going on’ after her family received the new information, the influencer said in an adjacent clip.
‘It may feel uncomfortable to some people – but I felt really betrayed,’ Carlton said. ‘I just kept thinking, “This cannot be real.”
‘To lose a child and then 18 months later, on Christmas Day, for it to be happening again, I just kept thinking, “Why would God allow this to happen to us again?”‘
Carlton told her followers about the ‘really long day at the trauma center’ on the day of Molly’s passing.
‘The doctors just could not figure out what the problem was. I remember just thinking, “She’s going to wake up and tell me she’s been with Abbi, and it’s all going to be OK – and it’s going to be this amazing miracle,”‘ Carlton said.
Carlton said that her family is ‘still in the middle of testing’ and would ‘appreciate your prayers as we wait for those results’
The grieving mom said she is turning to faith amid the troubled times
Carlton said ‘doctors tried all day to help her body recover from this cardiac event, but ultimately could not keep her with us.’
She said she and her spouse ‘left the hospital that evening completely shell-shocked and terrified knowing that we had to go back and tell our now two children that they just lost another sister.’
The grieving mom said in the caption that she is turning to faith amid the troubled times.
‘If I’m honest, I wrestled deeply with God,’ Carlton said. ‘Losing one child felt impossible… losing two felt cruel. There are still many moments I struggle with this. I still don’t understand.’
Carlton said she was ‘trying to hold onto the truths’ that she knew as a woman of faith.
‘That we are children of a loving Heavenly Father, that we lived with Him before,’ she wrote, ‘and that we chose to come to earth and experience a fallen world to learn and become more like Him, with the promise that all things will be made right and that families are eternal.’
Carlton previously announced the tragic news of Molly’s passing in a December 26 post on Instagram, writing, ‘On Christmas morning, our sweet Molly girl, and her big sister Abi were reunited,’ referring to Abigail’s death in April 2024.
‘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?”‘
Melissa Mae Carlton (pictured) and her husband Tom Carlton are grieving the devastating loss of their youngest daughter Molly
‘On Christmas morning, our sweet Molly girl, and her big sister Abi were reunited,’ Carlton wrote on Instagram on Friday, December 26, referring to Abigail’s death in April 2024
Hours later, Carlton returned to Instagram with more details.
‘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 said. ‘The doctors believe Molly had a genetic heart condition and suspect this may have been the case with Abi as well.’
Carlton added: ‘I’m sharing this because I believe it could be critical information for families who have experienced SUDC (sudden unexpected death in children).
‘This understanding came because Molly was able to be monitored in the hospital, which we were not able to do with Abi. I’ve never felt satisfied with the answers we were given for her.’
She explained that if Abi also had the heart condition, ‘any minor illness could potentially trigger a sudden cardiac event.’
Molly died on Christmas Day following a sudden hospitalization.
‘That morning, we witnessed many small miracles. Paramedics were stationed just three minutes away and arrived quickly,’ Carlton recalled.
‘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. Her little body fought so hard, but we’ve been told that this type of cardiac event is, in most cases, not survivable.’
Abi passed away at just nine years old after battling sepsis, while the couple have not publicly revealed Molly’s age or cause of death
‘The doctors believe Molly had a genetic heart condition and suspect this may have been the case with Abi as well’
Carlton described the emotional toll: ‘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. I am not ready for this pain.’
The influencer, who runs a faith-inspired art shop with 80,000 Instagram followers, has previously spoken candidly about Abi’s death.
In May, she shared a video reel showing Abigail throughout the years — smiling at the dinner table, blowing out candles, and spending time with her family — with overlay text: ‘Yesterday, I should have had a 10-year-old running down the stairs in the morning, eager to open her presents.’
Carlton reflected on the sudden nature of Abigail’s passing, revealing the child was happy and playing with her siblings the day before.
By morning, she had stomach pain and vomited — something the couple initially thought was a routine bug — but within three hours, Abigail was gone.
She admitted the grief has taken a toll on her ability to appear ‘strong’ online.
‘The truth is, it really, really sucks. I hate it. I miss her so much. It’s ‘supposed’ to be the happiest time of year, but it just hurts,’ she wrote recently.
Carlton added: ‘I’m sharing this because I believe it could be critical information for families who have experienced SUDC (sudden unexpected death in children)’
‘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. I still can’t believe this happened. I still can’t believe she’s gone.’
Carlton shared that she no longer wants a picture-perfect holiday.
‘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,’ she wrote on December 11.
‘I regret ever having two Christmas trees. One for us and one for the kids. From now on, the tree is the kids’ tree. All of their ornaments. Everything they’ve made for it.’
She went on to describe the family traditions they now embrace in memory of Abi, including making ‘Abi angels,’ hanging childhood ornaments on the tree, and framing one of Abi’s holiday pajamas for the wall.
‘This is what Christmas looks like now,’ Carlton concluded.
