Jerri Nielsen

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.