Patience "Ivy" Pederson '24

Patience Ivy Pederson, known to everyone who loved her simply as Ivy, lost her long battle with mental illness on August 14, 2026. She was 20 years old.

Her life began on April 4, 2006, in the Lake Volta region of Ghana, where she spent her early childhood surrounded by her aunt, birth mother, siblings, and grandmother. Even then, she carried a spark—a mix of curiosity, mischief, and tenderness—that followed her throughout her life. Our family’s story with Ivy began on February 14, 2013, Valentine’s Day, when we were matched with the little girl we had been unknowingly praying for. After three long years in the adoption journey, we had asked for “patience,” and then were told that was our daughter’s name. It felt like fate had spoken her into our lives. We met Ivy for the first time when she was seven, at Goods 4 Ghana, a small transition home in Accra. She wore a bright green dress sewn by her grandmother, and peeked at us from behind a porch door shy, playful, and unsure, but already ours. On August 24, 2014, her Gotcha Day, she officially became our daughter, though she had already taken root in our hearts long before.

As a child, Ivy was a whirlwind of color and joy. She loved spicy food, Doc McStuffins, Frozen, ice cream, and anything pink: skirts, cotton candy, toys, you name it. She played school with her best friend for hours, always insisting on being the Principal. Music filled her world and our world: Afrobeats, K‑Pop, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Hip‑Hop, Noah Kahan, Michael Jackson, 80’s hair bands, and countless others. Her first concert was Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour, where she ate so much blue cotton candy that her entire mouth turned blue and she promptly fell asleep before Shawn Mendes and Haim even finished their sets. The last concert we saw together was Beyoncé, a night to be remembered. As she grew, so did her passions. Ivy became a talented baker, known for giving “instructions” to anyone who dared help her in the kitchen. She was also a gifted artist—drawing, painting, and jewelry-making—and she devoured books, especially Jane Eyre, which she read more times than we could count. Her creativity was endless, and her imagination was one of the safest places she ever had.

Ivy graduated from Fryeburg Academy in May 2024 and attended two semesters at The Ohio State University. She tried to build a life that felt steady, meaningful, and hers. For twelve years, she engaged with what seemed like every mental health and psychiatric resource the world had available. She fought with a strength that many never saw. Our daughter was loved beyond measure. She was complicated, brilliant, funny, stubborn, artistic, and brave. She changed us. She made us parents in ways we never expected.

Many families do not have access to the level of care Ivy received. In lieu of flowers, we ask that donations be made to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (https://donate.nami.org/give/197406#!/donation/checkout?utm_source=HPButton&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=DonationTracking&c_src=WEBHP) so that others struggling with mental health care access can receive the support they deserve. Ivy was our daughter. Our little girl. Our heartbreak. Our love. And she will remain all of those things for the rest of our lives.