Mallory Smith | |
---|---|
Born | Los Angeles | October 12, 1992
Died | November 15, 2017 | (aged 25)
Occupation | Author |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Stanford University |
Genre | Memoirs |
Notable works | Salt in My Soul: An Unfinished Life [1] |
Mallory Beatrice Smith (October 12, 1992 – November 15, 2017) was an author and cystic fibrosis advocate.
Smith was born to Mark Smith and Diane Shader Smith on October 12, 1992, and diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, a "progressive, genetic disease that causes persistent lung infections and limits the ability to breathe over time", at age 3. [2] [3] [4] The disease cripples by inhibiting oxygen and nutrient absorption required for growth and energy [5] with treatment regimens of more than 60 pills per day and waking up repeatedly for antibiotic IV treatments and lung exercises, yet Smith was determined to live well. [6] She maintained a 4.3 grade point average, [2] was captain of three different team sports, and was elected prom queen. [6]
By age 15, bacteria had colonized Smith's lungs, including a form of Burkholderia cenocepacia which mutated over a decade of antibiotic treatment from a normal vegetable bacteria into rare, aggressive superbug with no known treatment. [7] This allowed her to push for experimental options with bacteriophage treatment, which engineers viruses to destroy bacteria. [7] She attended Stanford University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, [6] [8] majoring in human biology with a concentration in environmental anthropology. [2] She also worked as a senior producer on Green Grid Radio, an environmental podcast featured on KCRW, National Radio Project and State of the Human. [9] After graduation, Smith became a cystic fibrosis advocate and began work as a writer. [8] However, her lungs took a turn for the worse in 2012 and she received a lung transplant on September 11, 2017. [5] Unfortunately the superbug had survived in her throat [8] and she died on November 15, 2017, at age 25 before bacteriophage treatment could be successfully administered, but provided lung samples to further the research for other patients. [3]
Smith's determination to live with joy despite her physical prognosis was inspirational to research and the cystic fibrosis community [2] [5] [7] Smith's outlook is credited as a driving force behind two cystic fibrosis charities. "An Evening in Mallory’s Garden" was started in 1995 and has raised more than $5 million [9] while Lunges4Lungs gained national awareness including corporate support from companies like Lululemon [5] and star support including Katy Perry. [6]
In 2016 she co-authored The Gottlieb Native Garden: A California Love Story with horticulturist Susan Lenman Gottlieb which was published by the National Wildlife Federation,. [10] Her memoir, Salt in My Soul: an Unfinished Life, was posthumously edited and published at her direction by her mother, writer/publicist Diane Shader Smith through Penguin Random House on March 12, 2019. [11] [9] It was subsequently optioned for production before its publication by The Invisible War and The Hunting Ground Oscar-nominated directors Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering. [9]
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