Deceased August 10, 2006
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In Memory
It is with great sadness that we report the death of our classmate and friend, Caroline Mah. On Aug. 10, 2006, Caroline succumbed to brain cancer after a courageous fight.
At Amherst, Caroline was a biology major who completed the pre-medical curriculum. After graduating from Amherst, Caroline worked in a research laboratory at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University, spending two years advancing scientific research in the field of cardiology. Caroline went straight from the lab to the classroom, studying at the SUNY Downstate Medical College from 1999-2003, when she graduated with her M.D. When Caroline was diagnosed with cancer in January 2005, she was in her second year of a three-year residency in internal medicine at New York Presbyterian University Hospital of Columbia and Cornell. When Caroline was told that she had an aggressive and fatal form of brain cancer, she approached her illness as she did any other challenge she has faced—with unwavering courage, strength and grace. Even when her own health was declining, she remained devoted to her vocation as a physician and healer; while she herself was in and out of the hospital managing her own condition and enduring great pain, she continued to take care of others, treating her patients whenever she was well enough to work.
Caroline’s sense of devotion and her profound capacity to care for and empathize with others was reflected in her private life in equal measure. At 18, Caroline possessed more wisdom and maturity than most are able to acquire in a lifetime. Throughout her life, friends, family and colleagues, in addition to her patients, sought out Caroline for advice, comfort and support, which they always received in abundance.
In Caroline’s first days at Amherst, she had the immense fortune of meeting her soulmate, husband-to-be and next-door neighbor in James dormitory, Donald Baril ’97. Within a few months, Donald and Caroline forged a powerful and sacred bond, which they were able to nurture and sustain over the past 12 years. They were married on Oct. 6, 2001, at Johnson Chapel in Amherst with family and friends (including many Amherst alums) looking on. Since that time, they have been living in New York City and completing their medical training in preparation for their careers in medicine. As Caroline’s illness progressed, Caroline and Donald were able to rely on the strength and depth of their love for one another to not only survive this difficult time but to embrace life, taking every opportunity to spend time traveling together and enjoying the company of friends and family.
Caroline intended to complete a fellowship in cardiology after residency; Donald is currently a chief resident in general surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and will begin a fellowship in vascular surgery in June 2007 at the University of Pittsburgh. Caroline is also survived by her parents, Dr. Chun Il Mah and Mrs. Myoung Sook Mah; her sister, Cathryn Mah; brother-in-law Jason Gersting; and niece Samantha Caroline Mah-Gersting.
Caroline’s kindness and love for not only friends and family but also for humanity sustained and blessed so many of us. We have lost a friend, a confidante and a healer—a soul so precious to the world and to each of us. May the legacy we take from her be the example of her selflessness, magnanimity and unfathomable courage.
Eavan Miles-Mason ’97 and Allison Ogden ’97