HOUSTON, TEXAS: A Texas family was left shattered after their 16-year-old daughter died suddenly after being discovered unconscious while attending cheerleading camp in July.
Katy native Callie Marie Mitchell was at Texas A&M University's camp when a coach found her unconscious. After performing CPR, she was taken to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston, where she died on August 1.
Who was Callie Mitchell?
Mitchell's mother, Michelle, told KHOU in an interview that the teenager was "super excited" about the camp. The coach had called Mitchell's parents to find out if she had any trouble waking up in the morning before he found her passed out.
Michelle, who is an assistant principal at Ranch High School where her daughter studied, reponded, "No, never." The parents thanked the coach who performed CPR, saying that it allowed them to bid their daughter farewell at least.
Michelle said, "If it wasn't for [Coach] Eberly, we would have never had the chance to say goodbye."
"[She] always wanted to be a friend to anyone and everyone," her father, Scott, said. Michelle stated, "More than anything, she would want them to have faith in God and now that they are redeemed."
In an interview with Katy Magazine, Scott stated that he last spoke with Mitchell the night before she was discovered unconscious. He said, "You could hear the joy and happiness in her voice."
According to Scott, Mitchell most likely died due to Long QT syndrome which is "a heart signaling disorder that can cause fast, chaotic heartbeats," per the Mayo Clinic.
'Get an EKG'
Scott told KHOU, "For any other parents out there, you know they do physicals every year ... EKGs are not part of a physical ... get an EKG," adding that Mitchell never showed any signs that she was unwell.
Mitchell's parents stated that she started cheering at the age of two during the interview. The Universal Cheerleading Association named her an Honorary Lifetime All-American Cheerleader last week.
One of her coaches, Justin Castleberry, told Katy Magazine, "Some kids you connect with on a different level and Callie was one of those kids. She brought a joy and a light to the room and to everyone she encountered."
Castleberry added, "You dream of coaching the kids that you are so well connected with. When you coach, you don't just coach the kid, but you become part of their family."
An obituary for Mitchell emphasized on her faith by noting that she even named her car "Faith." Her last Instagram Story's caption read, "His plan over mine."
Michelle said, "She was like sunshine." Mitchell's obituary mentions her love of Texas Roadhouse, Chick-fil-A, Starbucks, Free Birds, quesos as well as "a special place in her heart for her French bulldogs, Eugene and Ruby."
A 'dedicated Taylor Swift fan'
Mitchell was described as a "dedicated Taylor Swift fan". She reportedly had a "unique connection with time" and "would make a wish at 11.11 am, trusting in the magic of the moment," according to the obituary.
To assist Mitchell's family during this challenging time, a GoFundMe page has been created. Over $34,000 was raised at the time of writing.
Villa Sports, where Mitchell had only recently begun working, contributed to the fundraiser. Her brother, Luke, also works there.
In 2015, Texas lawmakers made their state the first to require public high school athletes to undergo electrocardiogram testing. This move was motivated by the deaths of teenagers like Mitchell each year from sudden cardiac arrest, per the Daily Mail.
Cody Stephens, a teenaged football player in the state who died unexpectedly in 2012, inspired the law known as Cody's Law.
