Jerri Nielsen(1952-2009)
- Writer
In 1999, Jerri Nielsen made international headlines when she discovered
she had breast cancer while trapped at a science station at the South
Pole. Dr. Nielsen was the only doctor on the base, with no nurses,
orderlies, or support staff. Because the long, dark austral winter
prevented planes from landing from March through October, Dr. Nielsen
performed a biopsy on her own breast and administered her own
chemotherapy. The U.S. Air Force eventually made a dramatic rescue to
return her to the U.S., where she underwent surgery.
