Catalina Mejia is a 33-year-old, fun-loving, aspiring Ph.D. scientist studying at Cornell University. Some of her favorite activities include paddling (especially white-water), hiking, backpacking, camping, spending time with friends, and adventuring with her pup, Nimbus. Unfortunately, in November 2025, Cat was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

This disease has already affected her muscles and motor function in her left hand, arm, and shoulder, and is starting to progress to her right hand. While doctors are optimistic about her timeline because she's young and otherwise healthy, this disease continues to attack motor neurons, leading to weakness, muscle wasting, speech issues, and eventually paralysis within months to years. ALS progression and timelines vary significantly from person to person, making the course of the disease difficult to predict and ranging from months to years. Most ALS cases develop without a known cause, and there is currently no cure. Cat is trying to make the most of her ability and independence in the time she has and is just starting to plan for her future needs, including adaptive equipment, medical bills, and caretaker and living expenses.

We started this GoFundMe to cover Cat's current medical expenses, including diagnostics, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and supplements, and to support her travel bucket list, before her ALS progresses further. This year, she hopes to explore ancient ruins, interesting histories, and beautiful landscapes in Peru and Scotland. She's building an Instagram page for others to follow her journey: adventuring, traveling, studying, and coping with disease progression (IG @cat.catalst). You can read about more ways to support Cat here: https://catalst.carrd.co/

All donations, big or small, are appreciated! We are all very thankful for your support.

Note: GoFundMe takes a ~3% fee per transaction. If you know Cat personally or feel comfortable making a gift directly to her, you can do so by finding her on Venmo (Venmo @Catalina-Mejia-1).