Kate MacKenna and Susannah MacKenna

Kate MacKenna and Susannah MacKenna share a friendship that outlasts the hospital circumstances in which it began. Kate’s continued attention to Susannah—through visits, small gifts, and invitations to give opinions on new products—makes the friendship a lasting presence in Susannah’s life, and Kate’s later memorial perfume carries that bond beyond Susannah’s death.

Meeting at the Hospital

The two met when Kate was in high school and at the hospital with her mother, who was waiting to come out of X-ray. Susannah was there while visiting her own sister, Carl Bertolli. Carl’s sister introduced the girls as they waited, and they quickly became dear friends. Susannah was two years younger than Kate; even at that age, Kate made a strong impression on Carl, who remembered her beauty and presence.

Their early conversations also established a particular shape to their friendship. Kate was making candles with unusual scents and asked Susannah to give her opinion. Susannah was delighted by the request: Kate treated her response as important, giving her a place in the creative work rather than merely bringing her a finished gift.

A Friendship Sustained Through Illness

Susannah was ill for a long time and repeatedly in and out of the hospital, which she described as her home away from home. When Kate’s mother went into remission, Kate no longer had the same reason to come to the hospital. She nevertheless continued to visit Susannah, including when she returned home during college vacations.

Kate also kept in touch from wherever she was, sending Susannah something each week: a candle, special lotion, or flower. Whenever Kate began working on a new product, she called Susannah for her thoughts. Carl knew Kate did not need Susannah’s opinion to proceed, but asking for it gave Susannah something to anticipate, especially when illness left her very weak in her final days.

Remembrance and Legacy

Susannah died in September. Her given name was Susannah, though her family called her Sassy. Kate did not let the friendship end with her death: she told Carl that she wanted to do something special in Susannah’s memory and developed a perfume to be named after her.

The perfume extends the pattern that had defined their friendship. Kate had made Susannah feel included by asking for her views on candles and other products; naming a new fragrance for her turns that personal exchange into a lasting memorial. Their bond is shown not as a single act of remembrance, but as a connection maintained through repeated attention and finally carried forward in Kate’s work.