Skip to content

Susie Matsuda

Susan Marie “Susie” Matsuda was a mixed-race Japanese American and White physician from Pasadena, California. She was the eldest child of educational-psychology professor Greg Matsuda and disability-services advocate Ellen Matsuda and the older sister of Cody, Pattie, and Joey. Susie attended Stanford University and later became a physician.

Early Life and Family

Susie was born on August 12, 1977, and grew up in Pasadena with her parents and three younger siblings. She earned strong grades and planned to pursue medicine.

After Cody’s spring 1995 suicide attempt and anoxic brain injury left him nonspeaking, Susie learned American Sign Language with the rest of the family and became fluent. She was seventeen during the crisis and turned eighteen before leaving for Stanford that fall.

Education and Medical Career

Susie entered Stanford University in fall 1995. She considered postponing college after Cody’s crisis but ultimately attended and was a senior in 1998. She later became a physician and held a medical leadership role. Her degree, medical school, specialty, institutional affiliation, leadership title, and adult career chronology have not been established.

Autism and Communication

Susie was autistic, although she had not been diagnosed in 1995. She received a formal diagnosis in the 2000s. Her concerns about leaving familiar routines and entering a shared college environment contributed to her anxiety about the transition to Stanford. She used spoken English and fluent ASL.

Family and Core Relationships

Susie held a substantial caregiving role within her family, including as the family adapted after Cody’s injury. During Pattie’s 1998 pregnancy, Susie and other family members provided practical support. Pattie named her daughter Lila Marie Hayes, with the middle name honoring Susie.

Michael Smalls

Susie knew Michael Smalls peripherally through high school and Stanford. Their first meaningful conversation occurred during the Wallace family’s Thanksgiving gathering in 1998, when Michael noticed that the crowd was overwhelming her and offered her a quieter place on the deck. Susie discussed the pressure surrounding her medical-school plans and Cody’s 1995 crisis; Michael encouraged her and responded without judgment.

The conversation became the first clear point of connection between them. Susie and Michael eventually became partners, although the start and later development of their romantic relationship have not been established.

Characters Supporting Characters Living Characters Mixed Race Characters Mixed Heritage Characters Japanese-American Characters White Characters Disabled Characters Neurodivergent Characters Autistic Characters ASL Users Doctors Physicians Medical Professionals Matsuda Family