Mallory Beatrice Smith (October 12, 1992 – November 15, 2017) was an author and cystic fibrosis advocate.
Early life
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.
The disease cripples by inhibiting oxygen and nutrient absorption required for growth and energy
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.
She maintained a 4.3 grade point average,
was captain of three different team sports, and was elected prom queen.
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 a rare, aggressive superbug with no known treatment.
Advocacy
Smith's determination to live with joy despite her physical prognosis was inspirational to research and the cystic fibrosis community
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
while Lunges4Lungs gained national awareness including corporate support from companies like
Lululemon and star support including
Katy Perry.
Works
In 2016 she co-authored
with horticulturist Susan Lenman Gottlieb which was published by the National Wildlife Federation,.
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.
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.
List of works
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The Gottlieb Native Garden: A California Love Story, National Wildlife Federation, First edition October 25, 2016,
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Salt in My Soul: an Unfinished Life, Penguin Random House, Spiegel & Grau, First edition March 12, 2019,
External links
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(sponsored by Cystic Fibrosis Research Institute; discussion moderated by Rainn Wilson with 7 other participants: Will Battersby (director of documentary), Diane Shader Smith, Micah Smith (Mallory's brother), Maya Humes (Mallory's friend), Gunnar Esiason, Steffanie A. Strathdee, and Benjamin Chan)
