Columbus, OH — Meagan Michelle McKee, 33, died July 16, 2023, after battling a rare pediatric cancer for the past three years.

Upon diagnosis, Ms. McKee chose to participate in the GD2 CAR T Cell Therapy Clinical Trial at Stanford’s Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital and the Monje Lab from December 2020 through September 2022. While she understood that the disease was incurable, she remained hopeful and wanted to provide an opportunity to further science and research in hopes that it would give others behind her a chance to live on. It was her last wish to donate her tissue to the research team at Monje Lab so they can continue to learn more about this disease.

Ms. McKee graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2012 and went on to work in digital marketing. She enjoyed moving to new cities and resided in Lexington, Chicago, San Francisco, and most recently New York City throughout her professional career. She loved to travel to new countries.

She was an avid reader, and also enjoyed sending postcards and hand written letters as an important form of communication with her family and friends.

Like the rest of the family, she grew up riding horses and was 4-H Equestrian of the Year in 2007 representing both the State of New Jersey and the NJ Horse Counsel. She competed throughout high school in many 4-H events, but found that she was most passionate about public speaking, where she went on to compete at the national level.

Ms. McKee is survived by her mother, Christine; sister, Lindsey (and her wife Gina DiBartolo); as well as her maternal grandmother, Patricia Wilson. She was preceded in death by her father, Samuel; and sister, Melissa.

Family and friends may visit Monday (July 24) from 5-9 p.m. at Brook Hollow Winery, Columbia, N.J.; words of remembrance will be held from 6-6:30 p.m. with dinner to follow. Services are entrusted to and directed by Newbaker Funeral Home.

Meagan’s wish was to not have any flowers for her celebration, rather people use that money to donate to research that may help someone else in the future.

Please consider donations to the Monje Lab Lorry I. Lokey Stem Cell Research Building, 265 Campus Drive, Room G3035 Stanford, CA 94305 (https://my.supportlpch.org/fundraise?fcid=401797) and/or Cancer Research Foundation, 6200 N. Hiawatha Ave., Suite 640, Chicago, IL 60646 (https://www.cancerresearch.org/en-us).