Women in Weed: Mary McCauley
At High Minded and our sister company, Timber Cannabis Co, we believe in giving back to our communities. Today we’d like to introduce you to a Timber team member helping us to make a difference, our resident “hippie granny,” Mary McCauley. Mary is a dedicated and charismatic budtender at the Timber Three Rivers location. She has also been battling leukemia for the last 20 years. This is the story of her decades living with cancer, how cannabis helps, and why Mary is so passionate about getting weed to people in need.
Mary is a legend around here, with no shortage of captivating stories to share about her life. She has lived in 44 out of 50 states, was raised in a commune in the Mojave Desert, and brought up 5 children of her own. Mary loves interacting with customers and is beloved for her cheerful attitude and hippie granny style. However, Mary wasn’t always so friendly and helpful. “I was the meanest person I knew,” Mary says of her two decades as a bill collector, but when she was diagnosed with leukemia, everything changed.
At the time, Mary weighed close to 400 pounds and had developed diabetes. She went in for routine blood work, and the doctor noticed her white blood cell levels were elevated. She didn’t feel sick, but went ahead and made an appointment with an oncologist, who asked how long she had had leukemia. Mary was shocked. She began treatment almost immediately, but there was only one drug that could help, and it cost $2000 per month. With the astronomical cost of this treatment on top of her other living expenses and several mouths to feed, she lost everything – her house, college funds, savings – but she also got a whole new perspective on life. “When you lose everything, and you think you’re going to lose your life, you really discover who you are.”
Mary managed to keep her head above water enough to continue treatment until a generic version of the drug was released and the cost was finally affordable. After retiring from being a debt collector, Mary waited tables, until the gas prices got too high and she decided that since she already grew it and smoked it, she might as well start selling marijuana. She loves working at Timber because of the customers and the education available for staff. We worked with Mary to develop Mary’s Magic, a new strain that benefits the Blood Cancer Foundation of Michigan, which works to ensure the emotional, social and financial stability of Michigan patients and families as they navigate their blood cancer journeys.
Mary’s Magic is pungent and potent, with a skunky, gassy aroma and earthy citrus flavor. It has a slow, smooth build, settling into a euphoric, cerebral bliss and a warm, stoney body high. It works great for those who need help with managing symptoms of cancer treatments, anxiety, stress, depression, OCD, PTSD, nausea, chronic pain, and insomnia. Part of this weed’s special magic is its high THC content, so novices should proceed with caution!
Throughout all of her treatments, side effects, and hardships, Mary used marijuana for symptom management, and it kept her going. She wants everyone with blood cancer or similar struggles to know that illness doesn’t mean you have to lose your whole self. Mary is passionate about being a budtender and doing her part to help other people have a better experience than she has had while navigating blood cancer treatment. Plus, she’s just excited about having her name on some dank Michigan weed. “To have your own line is every stoner’s dream!”
You can keep up with Mary on her IG at @maryhippygranny or stop by and visit her at Timber Three Rivers.
