Jerri Nielsen: Icebound
By Bruce Shawkey Just bought a copy of Icebound, by Dr. Jerri Nielsen. This true story takes place in 1998. She is the resident doctor at the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station. T he station is physically cut off from the rest of the world. During her stay there, she develops breast cancer. Nielsen teleconferenced with medical personnel in the United States and had to operate on herself in order to extract tissue samples for analysis. A military plane was later dispatched to the pole to airdrop equipment and medications. Her condition remained life-threatening, and the first plane to land at the station in the spring was sent several weeks earlier than planned, despite adverse weather conditions, to take her to the U.S. as soon as possible. Her ordeal attracted a great amount of attention from the media, and Nielsen later wrote this book recounting her story. Things at the station are all fine at first, and it's fun to read about Nielsen's every-day life. She treats her variou