Support Michaela's Catalina Channel Swim for ALS

Hi! My name is Michaela Sumortin and I am raising funds for the ALS Network in California. My grandma suffered from ALS which was a challenging journey for my family and me. We were very close throughout my childhood and before her illness, we enjoyed running and surfing together. She helped instill within me a love for the ocean and adventure.

In her memory, I will be training this year to swim across the Catalina Channel to raise awareness and funding for the disease.

As a third-year undergraduate student at UC Irvine pursuing a degree in Neurobiology, I proposed research regarding the pathophysiological cause of upper motor neuron death which is a symptom common to all known ALS cases. Although my proposed research remains theoretical, learning more about the current state of ALS research gave me hope that there may be a cure or more effective therapeutic measures one day. I have linked the essay below with all sources for anyone interested: link to essay.