Young Activist Won’t Let Cancer Get In Her Way

March 23, 2018

WCCO reporter Kylie Bearse featured CDH alum Catarina (Cat) Gomez’17 in a recent story.

The story explored the rise of activism in teens and young adults today—much more than had been seen in previous generations.

Gomez was only a few months into studying political science at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa when she learned her plans had to be put on hold.

After suffering horrible headaches, she was taken to the emergency room and learned her brain was dangerously swollen. Emergency surgery showed the reason was a cancer called Ependymoma, a comparatively rare childhood cancer, that was thankfully caught early.

Discussing her desire to be an immigration lawyer, Gomez said, “I love being active in politics and fighting for rights. I’ve been to rallies and protests and I think it’s so important.”

Gomez could have spent less time in the hospital but volunteered for extra chemotherapy as part of a study. She hopes that she can help other, younger, kids survive this rare cancer.

See the WCCO story in its entirety at Minnesota.CBSlocal.com.