A Letter from The Anopolsky Family

Dear Friends & Family,

Let us start with a little gratitude. Thank you for caring about our family and loving Maya. We are devastated by what has happened and are struggling to get through each day without her. This burden though has been lessened by the countless voices of support, and gestures of love from near and far. So thank you friends, family and members of the various communities of which both Maya and we proudly consider ourselves.

A little about our beloved Maya.  Maya was a rising senior who had worked tirelessly to find a summer internship. She was so excited about her plan to work in advertising and live in NYC for the first time. Maya loved to ‘look the part’ and had shopped with Jenn for summer business outfits which were neatly laid out in her room. Maya was planning on living with one of her besties from Bethesda and hang with a ton of Wash U and Holton-Arms friends who would also be in NYC for the summer.

Back at school, Maya was super involved holding a full academic schedule, an internship at the Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and a research position in psychology. Maya also hosted a ton of “pre-game” get-togethers at her apartment with her roommates and other friends from Alpha Phi.

At home, Maya was game. She wanted to do and try everything. She and Sanford sought out the puffiest pancakes in all of DC. She loved to go on hikes with Jenn, play the Wii with Robert, discuss the latest new drink at Starbucks with Max, and put bows in her labradoodle’s hair after every grooming. 

Maya was as fun as she was kind and caring. Maya was everything to us. The ultimate daughter, friend, sister, student, young business woman, and human. She was taken too soon and by the showing of support we know she impacted so many of us in a short time.

We want to take a moment to share what happened. Those close to Maya were aware of her food allergies. Over the last few years, Maya had a couple of incidents that caused serious reactions. For good reason, we were worried and went on a journey visiting allergists, food science experts, and specialists across the country. Naturally, we exhausted every option and listened to their advice. Sadly, all of our work and best intentions were for naught. On May 28th, Maya ate something that triggered a violent response that epipens and paramedics could not overcome. We are still in disbelief over the events of that day. The harsh reality is that Maya’s life was cut short and her hopes and dreams will never be fulfilled.

Honoring her with The Maya Rae Anopolsky Memorial Fund. Close friends from our time at Washington University and Wharton Business School, have teamed up to initiate “The Maya Rae Anopolsky Memorial Fund” at Washington University. Once funded, Wash U will administer in perpetuity an annual gift to help deserving students fulfill their dreams where Maya’s were cut short. We can’t think of a better way to keep Maya’s memory alive and support her and our family’s deep connection to the school.  All contributions, regardless of size, are deeply appreciated.

We encounter reminders of Maya in every moment and think of her at every turn.  We miss her so deeply and we know many of you do too.  If there’s one thing we hope for going forward, it is that we build a fund worthy of her memory.

We hope you’ll remember Maya fondly and encourage you to leave a message, share photos and stay in touch.

With love and appreciation,

Jennifer, Sanford, Robert, Max & Biscuit