Ryemarkable Meghan DiPerna

Family info: I live in Rye with my two daughters, who are 12 and 9 and keep me grounded, busy, and laughing.

Pets: No pets at the moment, though my youngest is actively lobbying for one.

Profession: I am General Counsel for New Hudson Facades, a specialty construction and engineering company that designs, manufactures, and installs custom building façades across the country.

How would you describe your work?

I work at the intersection of law, business, and people. I oversee legal, risk, compliance, and HR for a growing company, so no two days are ever quite the same. Some of my favorite parts of the job are the international supply chain and deal-making aspects, but I equally love the people side: helping build teams and culture. One of the best perks is walking through New York City or visiting other major cities with my kids and pointing to a building and saying, “That’s ours!” 

Before working on this, what was your career? 

I began my career as a practicing attorney in New York representing real estate owners and developers, negotiating design and construction agreements and managing the legal aspects of building projects. Over time, I realized I most enjoyed working closely with business leaders and being part of decision-making rather than advising from the outside.

I know you have had a challenging few years. Would you share your story?

Three years ago, I was diagnosed with high-risk acute myeloid leukemia. Overnight, life shifted from balancing work and parenting to thinking about what life would look like for my children without me. I underwent intensive chemotherapy and ultimately a stem cell transplant, which involved months in the hospital. I am happy to report that my cancer is in remission now, and I’m halfway to the point where doctors start using the word “cured.”

What exactly is a stem cell transplant? Did you find a donor quickly?

In simple terms, a stem cell transplant replaces your diseased bone marrow with healthy donor stem cells. Before the transplant, high-dose chemotherapy wipes out your existing marrow – including your immune system. Then donor stem cells are infused, and those cells migrate to your bone marrow and begin rebuilding your blood and immune system from scratch. I was incredibly fortunate to find a matched unrelated donor fairly quickly through the international registry. My donor is from Europe, and I will always feel profound gratitude toward that person. It is slightly funny now that the DNA in my blood technically doesn’t match my children’s anymore – which makes for a good joke about not leaving DNA at a crime scene. 

How did you first know something wasn’t right? Was it a preventative visit or were you not feeling well?

It was actually caught by accident. I went to my primary care doctor for something minor and unrelated, and she ran a routine CBC. The results were so abnormal that her office called me back that same day and told me I needed to see a hematologist immediately.  Even then, the hematologist assumed it had to be a lab error because I looked and felt completely fine. I had been skiing with my kids days earlier and had worked a full day in the city the day before. We repeated the labs, and unfortunately it wasn’t a mistake – my bone marrow was 80% cancerous at that point. It was a total shock.

Where were you treated and how long were you in the hospital?

I was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering, and I cannot say enough about the leukemia and transplant teams there. I was inpatient for a couple of months during my most intensive rounds of chemotherapy and during transplant. Beyond that, I was home but going back to the hospital sometimes daily, sometimes less often, for about 19 months total. Even when I was home, my immune system was essentially wiped out. The chemotherapy destroys not only the leukemia but also your existing bone marrow, which is what produces your immune cells. After transplant, you are essentially growing a brand-new immune system from donor stem cells, and that takes time. So I had to be extremely cautious about exposure. 

What did the girls do while you were hospitalized? Were they able to visit? In what ways

did they lift your spirits?

My daughters were in kindergarten and third grade at the time. My mom moved in to help care for them and keep their routines as normal as possible. Hospital policy didn’t allow children under 12 on the floor, but a few incredibly kind nurses allowed me to meet them briefly in the lobby during a few of my chemo admission. During the transplant itself, it was too risky for me to see them at all, and I also wanted to be mindful of other severely immunocompromised patients nearby. The summer after my transplant, they spent time with my sister in Pittsburgh because I essentially had no immune system and didn’t want to restrict them from camp and seeing friends. They lifted my spirits constantly. They named my IV pole, which was attached to me 24/7 for a while, sent me art projects to decorate my hospital room walls, and would FaceTime me with updates about school and life. Osborn Elementary was even kind enough to make arrangements for me to attend the Kindergarten Love Fest remotely. 

What is the biggest challenge you faced during this time, and what strategies did you use to cope? 

I knew the treatment regimen would be hard, and it was. What I didn’t anticipate was how lingering the uncertainty would feel once treatment ended. Living with the specter of relapse cast a dark cloud for a while. Over time, I learned to narrow my focus. One day at a time is a cliché for a reason – it works! Deal with what’s in front of you. Keep moving forward. There is a season to everything, good and bad – sometimes you just have to let time do its thing.

What has surprised you, and what have you learned in this journey?

At a time when the news cycle can make it easy to feel discouraged about civility and kindness, I experienced the opposite firsthand. Friends, colleagues, and acquaintances from different chapters of my life showed up in extraordinary ways – meals,  childcare, thoughtful messages, things I didn’t even realize I needed, family and girlfriends who simply took over when I couldn’t, even physician and PhD friends who painstakingly reviewed labs, read up on trials, and helped me think through all my medical decisions. It reinforced for me that people are far kinder and more generous than we sometimes expect. Community carries you through. 

You shared parts of your journey on social media. Did documenting it help you in any way?

I understand the instinct to keep something like this private, but I quickly realized that pretending everything was normal would create more stress. I didn’t have the bandwidth to make excuses for why I was disappearing. Once I decided to be open, I felt that if people were going to worry about me, I owed them updates. The response was overwhelmingly supportive and created a sense of connection for me. The one regret I have is that I wasn’t able to respond as fully as I would have liked to all the messages and kindness people showed me. I hope over time I can pay some of that forward.

What do you hope your children take away from watching you go through something this difficult?

I hope they learned that you can face very hard things without falling apart. That fear and courage can exist at the same time. That you advocate for yourself. That you stay calm and make decisions thoughtfully. Mostly, I hope they saw that even in very dark periods, you keep going, and you let people help you when you need it.

What do you love most about where you are now?

I find real happiness in ordinary days. Small things don’t weigh on me the way they once did. I often say I’m the luckiest unlucky person.

What is your best tip for others who are facing a life challenge?

Stay calm. Get organized. Do your research. Advocate for yourself. Trust your instincts. And accept help when it’s offered.

What’s next for you?

Professionally, I’m excited to continue helping grow our company and mentor the younger generation in the industry. Personally, my focus is on raising kind and resilient kids – and occasionally embarrassing them with the things that excite me these days, like eight hours of sleep or a long walk. The occasional getaway and time spent with friends and family rank pretty high, too.

Other fun details about you?

I love historical fiction and books that explore perspective across different periods of time and parts of the world – basically anything that looks at how people navigate complex lives. No matter how late I get to bed, I have to read at least a little before I can sleep.

Do you have a favorite quote?

For nearly 30 years, my favorite quote has been one widely attributed (though probably incorrectly) to Ralph Waldo Emerson:  

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded. 

It resonates with me because it reminds me that life is ultimately about connection, character, and the little differences we can make.