(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Cassie Mehring doodles away on paper, creating her favorite animals along with a few characters, like a heart and a chef, but the true heartstring of this 4-year-old’s story is one that begins before she was even born.

“We had another daughter named Scarlet Rose, and she was born in 2010 and she died in her sleep in 2012,” Jessica Mehring said. “No one could tell us why. No one could explain to us why this perfectly healthy child didn’t make it through that night, and we lived with that mystery for a very long time.”

It was an unanswered question that Jessica and her husband Jeremy would have to live with, until they received an unexpected answer from their daughter Cassie. Looking back on May of 2021 is when all the pieces would come together.

“Cassie was at the kitchen table eating her lunch,” Jessica Mehring said. “Jeremy was arguing with her to try to get her to eat because she hadn’t eaten much in the last few days because of her stomach bug… All of a sudden I hear Jeremy screaming my name and I came bolting out of the bedroom where I was resting, and he was carrying Cassie up the stairs and she was limp and her lips were black, not blue, they were black.”

When Jeremy looks back on that day, he said it is burned in his memory with a noise coming from Cassie that first sounded like she was choking.

“Then all of sudden, her body went completely stiff like it looked like she was seizing,” Jeremey Mehring said. “So I yank the tray off, and I picked her up and her whole body was still just stiff and I started screaming for Jessie, saying, you know, she’s having a seizure.”

After calling 911, Cassie was rushed to the hospital and doctors were able to save her life. The discovery was made that Cassie had a rare genetic condition with a PPA2 related mitochondrial disease.

“It was discovered that she has a mutation of both copies of her PPA2 gene, which the PPA2 gene is responsible for mitochondria, all function in the cell,” Jessica explained. “So, energy production in the cells, and the result of this genetic anomaly is cardiac arrest, that has been life changing for us because now we know certain things to watch out for.”

Doctors explained to them the three triggers for her cardiac arrest: viral illness, drops in blood sugar, and ingestion of alcohol. At the time, Cassie had been recovering from a stomach bug, which was why Jeremy was wanting her to eat to gain back strength.

Jessica and Jeremy pieced together that their firstborn daughter, Scarlett, had shown these same exact symptoms leading up to her death.

“When it happened with Cassie, it was just like, okay, this is the same thing,” Jeremy said. “This is exactly what happened before, and Scarlett passed on the night. So, nobody was there to see the physical aspects, but just the way everything went with the sickness and all that, so it takes a huge weight off to finally have an answer.”

A framed photo of Scarlett Rose is in the families living room.

While Scarlett is no longer with her family, the course of Cassie’s life is one that her mother believes was saved for a reason.

“All the miracles had to line up to save this kid’s life,” Jessica said. “It’s just to this day is amazing to me all of the elements that had to line up for her to be with us today.”

After Cassie’s diagnosis, the two found out just how rare her condition is and how little is known about it.

“It was just discovered in 2016,” Jessica explained. “At the time, we were told that she had this genetic anomaly, we were told there was only 20 people in the world living with this condition. Another 30 were discovered postmortem then.”

While her parents keep a watchful eye on Cassie, her older sister Autumn is also making sure she is protected. Specifically, the family regulates her diet closely to ensure she does not consume alcohol ingredients.

Autumn teaches her sister Cassie how to draw a spider and spider web.

“The mitochondria are responsible for metabolizing alcohol, so she can’t have any alcohol ingredients, that includes vinegar and vanilla extract,” Jessica said. “Of course, direct alcohol, so cough medicines, she’s never going to be able to have a sip of a beer.”

While the condition is extremely rare, the family was able to find a community through Facebook experiencing the same hardship.

“It just so happens that a few of them had connected and created this Facebook group…. and we were able to start sharing stories,” Jessica said. “Sharing details [because] the mutations in the PPA2 gene are very unique to each child, so we share that medical information so we can kind of inform our doctors.”

By sharing their daughter’s story, Cassie’s parents hope more research can be done, and more families will be aware of the life-saving potential genetic testing can have.

“I’m hoping more research gets done and they kind of come together a little bit more and can kind of come up with some kind of guidelines,” Jeremy said. “We are in that PPA2 group that we’re finding out, a lot of doctors are telling their families different things than what we’re told, and it’s stressful and confusing for kind of all of us in the way of, one person said their doctor told them not to let the kids eat fruit because fruit can you know, overripe fruit can turn to alcohol.”

Inside of Cassie’s room is a zoo of stuffed animals all loved by their four-year-old owner.

Jeremy and Jessica were given the choice to undergo genetic testing when their daughter died, but due to the expenses and the unknown likeliness of finding answers, they passed. Jessica is beyond grateful they went through with it after Cassie’s near-death experience.

“We had an answer within two weeks with this genetic testing and I really chalk that up to just the support and encouragement of the genetic counselor who talked to us and encouraged us to do this,” said Jessica.

At four years old, the strength Cassie has is not only from her parent’s love, but from her guardian angel Scarlett looking over her too.

“She trips a little more, and her coordination is not quite like other kids,” Jessica said. “But if you see her just in the world with her passion and her energy and her persistence, this kid’s going to be unstoppable. There’s nothing in the world this kid can’t do if she puts her mind to it, balance and coordination aside, she’s going to run this world.”