COLLEGE STATION, Texas — “The more and more we are learning about her from the community and from so many friends and family, is how much faith she had,” said Scott Donahue, father of Callie Mitchell.
Scott and Michelle Donahue are experiencing a loss that no parent should ever have to suffer through.
“She made people feel special — she knew just how to connect with people,” said Michelle Donahue, Callie's mother.
The Donahue’s are mourning the loss of their 16-year-old daughter, Callie Marie Mitchell.
Callie passed away just before starting her junior year at Morton Ranch High School in Katy — just 30 miles from Houston.
Callie was staying at Texas A&M for a cheer camp, and her mother had no idea that the last time they spoke would be the last time she would hear her daughter's voice.
“We talked to her for a little bit, and then sometime after that in her sleep, she went into cardiac arrest. From what the doctors have explained to us, from Long QT Syndrome.”
Long QT Syndrome is a heart rhythm disorder that can affect even the healthiest of individuals. Dr. Michael Nguyen, Medical Director for Physicians Premier ER, says early detection can uncover these kinds of problems even before they begin.
“Abnormalities of the heart — we typically start seeing that more in the seventh and eighth grade student population, so 11 or 12-year-olds," Dr. Nguyen said.
After being found by her cheer coach, Callie was life-flighted from College Station to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston where she died on August 1.
Callie's memory will always be carried by her parents.
“She is redeemed, she is in heaven, and we will see her again.”