Who is Cat

So, who is Cat?… I guess that is why you clicked on this page

Actually, a very regular unnoticeable tomboyish girl… yes, I still feel like a girl… although the birth-days have ceased to be celebrations.

I was born in Sweden in 1966… and grew up in a village by a lake. I have two wonderful sisters, Elisabeth and Susanne, and I am the middle one. My mom and dad, Gunnel and Björn, raised us with a lot of love, discipline and hard work. When I was 8 the family moved to Belgium and I lived there until I had graduated from high school. I had decided when I was very young that I was going to be a veterinarian and I moved back to Sweden to pursue my studies in veterinary medicine. In December 1991 I was a licensed veterinarian. I worked as a large animal practitioner in Northern Sweden for a while… but my longing to change things and make a difference moved me to administration, policy and inspection. I worked as a veterinary inspector at the Board of Agriculture and the National Food Administration for 6 years. As usual, I worked too hard… and burnt out.. decided to hide out in the US for a year… to get away from the heat of national and international policy. Well, in graduate studies with the University of California… my one year has now turned into my 7th year. I guess we can plan direction, but not destination. After having finished a Master of Preventive Veterinary Medicine, I did a PhD in Comparative Pathology. I am right now working as a postdoctoral researcher in Tulare, Ca. with University of California, Davis. My major focus is to protect animal and human health from zoonotic disease and to preserve the value of antibiotics by decreasing antibiotic resistance. I love animals, and my family consists of 3 cats and one turtle.

I love living life to the fullest, every day, every hour, every minute, every second…. Realizing that this life is a gift that may any moment be taken away.

I accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord when I was 20… and that made my life so complete. I love sharing about what Christ has done for me… if you wanna know… otherwise, just take me as I am, because I just need Him. (See Jeremiah 29:11-13 – that is one of my favorite verses)

I also love outdoors activities and sports. Before I came to the United States in 1998, I was mainly a recreational jogger, bike commuter and a forest hiker. In Davis, California I got introduced to road cycling… and I found a life passion. Within a year of having started to bike seriously I got tricked into racing the Furnace Creek 508… a 508 mile long race with 35,000 feet of climbing in Death Valley, California. (see other page for that story). Ultracycling soon became my speciality with races exceeding 150 miles. I found so much friendship, fun-loving people and the adventures of seeing all parts of the United States on my bike.

This year I participated in a bicycle race, the Race Across America (RAAM), the hardest race in the whole world. On June 19th, twenty-six solo bikers started in San Diego heading in a non-stop race to Atlantic City covering over 3000 miles and over 110,000 feet of elevation gain. I was the only woman starter. Only 12 finished the race, and I came in 8th place with a time of 11 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes. (See separate RAAM pages) I was the first Swede to finish RAAM.

I am right now… training for my first marathon.. have been hiking the Sierra Nevadas and enjoying God’s creation. I am very blessed with many friends… and love sharing what I have with others. Do you want to come join me for a bike ride or a hike?

Take care, my friend, and thank you for visiting my site.