Influencer Melissa Mae Carlton is opening up about the answers her family has received after the deaths of her daughters.
“Almost four months later, we now have a diagnosis for Molly, and we’re almost 100 percent certain that it’s the same condition that Abigail had,” Carlton shared in a Thursday, April 23, Instagram video.
Carlton explained that Molly, who died in 2025 at age 5, was diagnosed with PPA2, a “genetic mitochondrial condition” that is passed down by parents who are carriers. Nearly two years before Molly’s death, Carlton’s daughter Abigail suddenly died at age 9. (The influencer and her husband, Tom, also share daughter Lily and son Harry.)
Carlton shared that her family is “in the middle of testing” to confirm officially whether “anyone else actually has the disease,” asking for prayers from her followers. She became emotional while she recalled her followers praying for Molly and their family in December 2025.
In the video, Carlton explained that she opted to take a break from social media for the past few months but felt compelled to “share what has been going on.”
“It may feel uncomfortable to some people, but I felt really betrayed. 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?’” she recalled. “It was a really long day at the trauma center. 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 [Abigail] and it’s all going to be OK. And it’s going to be this amazing miracle.’”
She continued, “The doctors tried all day to help her body recover from this cardiac event, but ultimately could not keep her with us. And we 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.”
In the caption, Carlton admitted that she “wrestled deeply with God” after Molly’s death in December 2025.
“Losing one child felt impossible… losing two felt cruel,” she wrote. “There are still many moments I struggle with this. I still don’t understand. But I am trying to hold onto the truths I do know that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father, that we lived with Him before, 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.”
She continued, “Now, after months of testing, we have answers and I feel an urgency to share. We have learned that Molly had a rare genetic mitochondrial condition called PPA2, and we are almost certain Abigail had it as well. 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. It is considered extremely rare, but it is also significantly under-tested. I believe there are many sudden, unexplained child deaths that go undiagnosed.”
Carlton shared that the family would not have answers without the Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Foundation, whom she said “stepped in immediately, advocated for us, and helped make the genetic testing possible.”
“They also provide support for grieving families and are working to advance research so more answers can be found,” she wrote. “If you are a parent who has experienced a sudden or unexplained loss, please reach out to them for support and access to genetic testing.
She concluded, “Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us, sent messages, and supported our family. We have felt it ❤️.”
