As our family celebrated senior year traditions for Kelsey in 2022, Allie began an unexpected health journey when she was diagnosed with a form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma that summer. For a time, our focus turned from preparing Kelsey for her freshman year at Vanderbilt University to numerous hospital stays, doctor’s visits, scans, and tests for Allie. For the next 4-5 months, Allie confronted her new reality head-on while continuing her pursuit of a Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and School Counseling at St Mary’s College with hopes of helping others address the realities of a cancer diagnosis.
After achieving remission in early 2023, our family was once again celebrating as Hannah graduated from the University of Washington. We rallied around Allie once again as she fell ill that summer, was diagnosed with Secondary Acute Myeloid Leukemia, and began another battle. She spent countless days at UCSF enduring treatments and tests, but continuing her classes at St Mary’s. Nothing was going to stand in the way of finishing her Master’s degree.
This diagnosis came as a surprise after all she had endured and, this time, her medical team turned to Hannah and Kelsey to begin extensive testing to see if either would be a “match” as a stem cell donor for Allie. Hannah was a 100% match (there is only a 25% chance of this happening)!
As timing would have it, Hannah began preparing to donate stem cells as she and Kelsey came home to help lead Kairos #96. As parents, we couldn’t think of a more perfectly timed event for these two to unplug and reach deep into their faith.
Even after receiving the stem cell transplant, Allie’s health declined and she passed away on December 18, 2023. Our hearts are broken and we miss her every single day.
Throughout her journey, Allie continued her studies at St Mary’s College and was awarded a posthumous Master’s degree in Counseling in May, 2024.
We are so fortunate to have the Carondelet community standing with us as we face this new reality. We were honored when they suggested we begin a scholarship in her memory—the Allie Macaulay ’15 Memorial Tuition Assistance Fund.
Wanting to give back to Carondelet further, we donated some of her savings to name The Hive in the Cannon Wellness Center in Allie’s name. She was so proud of her alma mater for prioritizing mental health and offering much needed support to students, and had hopes of working in the Cannon one day.
Allie was a huge proponent of “girl power” and the benefits that come from inner strength and psychological safety. We are humbled to have Allie’s legacy connected to the Cannon Wellness Center and The Hive with hopes that the young women of Carondelet recognize their strength, talk openly about their vulnerabilities, and succeed in today’s ever-changing world.