A heartbroken mother has shared a devastating tribute to her daughter on what would have been the little girl’s 10th birthday – nearly a year after her sudden and tragic passing.
Melissa Carlton, 33, from Vancouver, Canada, took to Instagram to post a poignant video reel of Abigail, offering a window into her family’s ongoing grief and love.
The short clip shows Abigail through the years – smiling at the dinner table, blowing out candles, and spending time with her family.
‘Yesterday, I should have had a 10-year-old running down the stairs in the morning, eager to open her presents,’ reads the overlay text on the reel, accompanied by soft piano music and snapshots of Abigail’s life.
Melissa and her husband, Thomas, 35, are still grappling with the shock of Abigail’s sudden death from an aggressive and rare form of sepsis that took her life in just a few hours.
The day before she passed, Abigail had been playing happily with her siblings.
By morning, she had stomach pain and vomited – something the couple initially thought was a routine bug common in a house full of children.
But hours later, Abigail was gone.
Melissa Carlton shared a 10th birthday tribute to her daughter who passed due to sepsis a year prior
Melissa mentioned that even if her family had rushed Abigail to emergency, it’s unlikely they would have caught it in time
In her post, Melissa mentioned that even if her family had rushed Abigail to emergency, it’s unlikely they would have caught it in time.
Marking Abigail’s 10th birthday felt hollow, the mother-of-four said.
‘There was this aching sense that someone was missing – because she was,’ she said.
‘It was a day full of silence and sorrow, trying to celebrate her while also surviving the grief.
‘It’s strange to grieve both who she was and who she could have become.’
In honor of her memory, the family created a ‘Power-Up Hike’ based on Abigail’s love for Super Mario.
The trail was dotted with custom signs encouraging kids to be kind, tell jokes, and perform small acts of service.
At the summit, they had built a handmade Princess Peach castle, where children could write notes ‘to send to heaven.’
Melissa said that on a hike to honor her late daughter Abigail, her and her family noticed a rainbow over the skate park where she used to play
Melissa said that as the hike ended, a rainbow appeared over the family’s home and the nearby skate park where Abigail once played.
‘It was so vibrant and sudden, it felt like a gift from her,’ she said.
‘Like she was there, smiling at us.’
Abigail was known for her deep generosity – even insisting on spending her birthday money on toys for her siblings just days before her death.
‘She found her joy in others’ joy,’ Melissa said.
Since losing her daughter, Melissa has dedicated her Instagram account to openly documenting her grief journey.
She has become a vocal advocate for honest conversations around child loss and mourning, and recently hosted a grief meetup for other bereaved parents.
She is also training to become a certified grief educator.
‘I believe grief is meant to be witnessed, not hidden,’ she said.
‘And I’ll continue to be a witness – for Abigail, and for every grieving parent who needs to know they’re not alone.’