As told by Karlie’s mother, Celina.
Last June, my 17-year-old daughter Karlie mentioned pain in her left leg. She was a dancer, and dancers always have pain: a pulled muscle, a pinched nerve, or sciatica. The pain increased and moved into her groin area. We treated it as the internet said: heat, ice, and elevate.
That didn’t seem to help much, so we made an appointment with her gynecologist to double-check if this had to do with her polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which is a hormonal disorder.
She never made it to that appointment. On the night of July 23, she and I had dinner as usual. She told me her leg hurt, but there was no swelling, redness, or any other symptoms, nothing that made me think she was in danger.
I got a TikTok video from her at 1:23 a.m. on July 24. That was the last time I heard from her. She passed in her sleep due to the clot breaking off and traveling to cause a pulmonary embolism.
We did not know at her passing that it was from a blood clot until the autopsy. She had been on birth control, and that created a DVT, which ultimately led to a pulmonary embolism and her death.
Karlie was an amazing young lady who loved to laugh and dance. Her laugh was contagious. She was extremely gifted and passionate about dance, beginning her career at the tender age of 2.
She loved her family, friends, and her cat, Krum. Karlie loved reading, watching anime, and drinking boba. Karlie was truly a rare gem. She got along with everyone and never let anyone get in the way of her happiness. She was the first to speak up for someone else who needed help.
We’ve created a scholarship fund in her name, Karlie’s Light, to allow dancers who can’t continue dancing due to financial struggles and raise awareness in Karlie’s name. Typical signs were not there, and being 17 and healthy, no one would have suspected a blood clot, so our mission is to let the world know.
