Meaghan Carpenter to Be Inducted into Sandia Preparatory School’s Hall of Fame
Meaghan, a former Sandia Preparatory School student whose life was shaped by vasculitis but never defined by it, will be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in October. The induction will recognize a young woman whose accomplishments in education, her career and the vasculitis community extended far beyond the years she was given.
Meaghan was born in October 1992 and was diagnosed with vasculitis at age 15. In 2008, while a freshman in high school, she developed severe peripheral neuropathy in addition to longstanding asthma and allergies. During a hospitalization in Albuquerque, New Mexico, pediatrician Dr. Gwendolyn Shelton recognized that the combination of symptoms pointed to what was then called Churg-Strauss syndrome, now known as eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis, or EGPA. Her diagnosis allowed treatment to begin before the disease caused further systemic damage.
Meaghan later spoke about the significance of that diagnosis herself. She credited Dr. Shelton’s willingness to investigate beyond the obvious possibilities with giving her years of life she might otherwise have lost. “Thanks to her investigation, my disease was identified and brought under control,” Meaghan said in a story previously published by the Vasculitis Foundation (VF).
Despite missing substantial amounts of school because of illness, Meaghan became a National Merit Scholar and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in English with honors from the University of New Mexico. She later completed a Master of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois and worked in legal research while pursuing a career in librarianship. Her professional profile also reflects her continuing involvement with the VF, where she served as an area contact for New Mexico and helped connect newly diagnosed patients with information and support.
Her experience with vasculitis also led her to become an advocate for others living with the disease. She attended VF conferences, spoke with researchers about the patient experience and mentored younger people who were confronting a diagnosis that could be frightening and isolating.
That commitment continued to have an impact after her death in December 2019 at age 27. A memorial gift made in Meaghan’s honor later helped establish scholarships for young adults with vasculitis to attend Foundation conferences. The VF has described Meaghan as a leader and mentor to younger patients within the community.
For Meaghan, the goal was never simply to live with vasculitis. She hoped for a future in which a diagnosis would not keep young people from pursuing the lives they imagined for themselves. She wanted newly diagnosed patients to know that their disease did not have to prevent them from living full lives and achieving their goals.
Her induction into the Sandia Preparatory School’s Hall of Fame offers another opportunity to remember that legacy—not simply the illness that changed her life, but the education she pursued, the career she built and the people she encouraged along the way.
The Sandia Preparatory School’s Hall of Fame induction is scheduled for 1:30 pm on October 3, 2026, in Albuquerque.