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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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South Pole Doc Who Treated Own Cancer Dead at 57

Disease returned after long remission

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(AP) – Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald, who diagnosed and treated her own breast cancer before a dramatic rescue from the South Pole, has died at age 57, her husband said today, passing away yesterday at their home in Southwick, Mass. Her cancer had been in remission until it returned in August 2005.

FitzGerald was the only doctor at the National Science Foundation's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in winter 1999 when she discovered a lump in her breast. Extreme cold didn't permit a rescue, so with guidance from US-based doctors via the Internet, she performed a biopsy on herself with the help of staff. She treated herself with anti-cancer drugs delivered during a mid-July airdrop in blackout, freezing conditions, until she could be rescued by the Air National Guard in October.

In this 1999 file photo released by the National Science Foundation, Dr. Jerri Nielsen, a National Science Foundation physician, is shown at the ceremonial South Pole.
In this 1999 file photo released by the National Science Foundation, Dr. Jerri Nielsen, a National Science Foundation physician, is shown at the ceremonial South Pole.   ((AP Photo/National Science Foundation, File))
In this May 4, 2005 file photo, Dr. Jerri Nielsen, right, talks with a guest at a reception prior to the Breast Service Luncheon in New York.
In this May 4, 2005 file photo, Dr. Jerri Nielsen, right, talks with a guest at a reception prior to the Breast Service Luncheon in New York.   (AP PHoto/Richard Drew, File)
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4 comments
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Sauerkraut
Jun 24, 09 10:13 AM CDT
This is too bad, I remember watching a documentary about how she saved her life while in Antarctica. ' RIP Reply
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dax
Jun 24, 09 10:18 AM CDT
What a heroic person. Has provided a benchmark for human resilience and empowerment Reply
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+3
Reader22060479
Jun 24, 09 11:11 AM CDT
And to think Perez Hilton spend 12 minutes blubbering about a punch in the face. Reply
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DeniseVB
Jun 24, 09 11:47 AM CDT
So sad, she was a very brave woman. Reply
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