UofL employee plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise awareness for Huntington’s Disease

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - A staff member and alumna of the University of Louisville is making plans to climb the highest mountain in Africa to benefit people with a rare, inherited neurological disease.

Laura Dixon will climb Mount Kilimanjaro, a sow-capped dormant volcano that rises 19,341 feet above sea level, to raise awareness and support patients with Huntington’s Disease and their families.

Huntington’s Disease is a progressive, incurable and fatal disease that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain, according to the HDSA.

“I decided if I was going to make this climb, I wanted to make it count,” Dixon said. “I want to make a difference for this underserved, underrepresented and often misunderstood population.”

Dixon climbed the 14,968-foot Mount Meru in February 2022. Her goal for her upcoming climb is to raise funds for research, and education, and advocate for the Kentucky Chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.

Dixon is a nurse practitioner in the UofL Department of Neurology and has treated patients with Huntington’s Disease for more than seven years.

“After caring for more than 100 people with Huntington’s Disease over the years, it is not lost on me how fortunate I am to have the opportunity and the physical and cognitive abilities needed to make this climb,” Dixon said. “I will be carrying my people with me every step of the way.”

Dixon will start her seven-day ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro on March 1.

To support her climb with a donation, click or tap here.