Another week and yet another sad day where a young person has lost their life before it really got to start.
A Texas teenager had her life tragically come to an end this week and a family as well as friends are completely devastated.
Callie Marie Mitchell of Morton Ranch High School died unexpectedly after being found unresponsive at cheer camp, and her parents are hoping the tragedy inspires other parents to pursue heart health checks for their children.
Mitchell, who hailed from Katy, was at Texas A&M University when she was discovered unresponsive by a coach last month, according to KHOU.
“The 16-year-old was at a cheer camp at Texas A&M University when a coach called her parents to ask them a question about their daughter.
“She said, ‘Hey, does Callie have a problem waking up in the morning?’ And I said, ‘No never,'” Michelle said.
Her parents jumped in the car and headed to College Station. Once they got there, they learned that the same coach that called them performed CPR on Callie.
“If it wasn’t for (Coach) Eberly, we would have never had the chance to say goodbye,” Michelle said.
Callie was airlifted from College Station to Texas Children’s in Houston.”
Sadly, she would pass away on August 1st.
Callie’s father, Scott Donahue, told KHOU that Callie’s suspected cause of death is likely “a cardiac arrest that was caused by Long QT syndrome.”
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According to Mayo Clinic, Long QT syndrome (LQTS) “is a heart signaling disorder that can cause fast, chaotic heartbeats (arrhythmias).”
Following their daughter’s death, Michelle and Scott want other parents to be aware of the condition and have their children undergo an EKG on their hearts.
“For any other parents out there, you know they do physicals every year … EKGs are not part of a physical … get an EKG,” Scott said.
Mitchell would have been a junior at Morton Ranch High School this year.
