Nielsen, Jerri 1951-

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NIELSEN, Jerri 1951-

PERSONAL: Born 1951, in Salem, OH; daughter of Phil (a builder) and Lorine (a psychologist) Cahill; married Jay Nielsen (a physician), 1974 (divorced 1998); children: Julia, Benjamin, Alex. Education: Ohio University, B.A. (zoology); Medical College of Ohio, M.D., 1977.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Publicity Director, Hyperion Books, 77 West 66th St., 11th Floor, New York, NY 10023.

CAREER: Physician in general practice for more than twenty years.

WRITINGS:

(With Maryanne Vollers) Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole, Talk Miramax Books/Hyperion (New York, NY), 2001.

SIDELIGHTS: Most readers are intrigued by stories about living on the edge or meeting the challenges offered by remote destinations. Dr. Jerri Nielsen's story is no exception. Having taken a job at a U.S. base in Antarctica, the furthest thing from Nielsen's mind was that she would diagnose herself with breast cancer and perform biopsies on her own breast with the aid of an Internet connection to medical specialists in faraway Denver, Colorado. But that is exactly what happened to her. The story of her ordeal and personal battle is found in Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole.

Isabel Vincent, writing in the National Post, concurred that the book is "an extraordinary story of courage and survival." Gloria Maxwell, reviewing it in Library Journal, called the book "an absolutely riveting account of hardship and perseverance." Jane S. Drabkin, reviewing Ice Bound in School Library Journal, described it as "an engrossing story in an unforgiving setting . . . a story of growth, endurance, teamwork, and survival." Jo Ann Rosenfeld, writing in the British Medical Journal, said, "It is an adventure tale in the true sense as Jerri Nielsen travels through more than just geography and finds herself at the end." Stephanie Papa, writing in Library Journal, remarked, "No matter what the passage, Nielsen mesmerizes readers as she carries them along for a ride of a lifetime."

Nielsen, cancer-free in 2002, planned to start a hospital in Africa or work in emergency rooms in Anchorage, Alaska.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

British Medical Journal, April 14, 2001, Jo Ann Rosenfeld, review of Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole, p. 935.

Entertainment Weekly, February 18, 2000, p. 79; February 23, 2001, p.156

Geographical, March, 2001, "Sub-zero Heroine," p. 114.

Library Journal, April 1, 2001, Stephanie Papa, review of Ice Bound, p. 122; June 1, 2001, Gloria Maxwell, review of Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole, p. 250.

MacLean's, March 19, 2001, "Fighting for Her Life,"p. 47.

National Post, February 24, 2001, Isabel Vincent, "Very Dramatic. And Very Cold," p. B12.

Newsweek International, October 18, 1999, Anna Kuchment, "At Last, a Long Winter's End," p. 5; May 14, 2001, Vibhuti Patel, "Facing Death on the Ice," p. 60.

New York Times Book Review, February 4, 2001, Katherine Bouton, "The Doctor Who Came in from the Cold," p. 7.

Oprah, February, 2001, Cathleen Medwick, "Phenomenal Woman: Dr. Jerri Nielsen."

People Weekly, November 1, 1999, Bill Hewitt, "Prison at Earth's End: Confronted with the Specter of Cancer, a Brave Woman Comes Home from the Pole," p. 132.

Publishers Weekly, February 7, 2000, John F. Baker, "Antarctic Rescue Story Bought"; January 8, 2001, review of Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole, p. 64; February 5, 2001, "Bound for Success" p. 24; May 7, 2001, review of Ice Bound, p. 49.

R&D, February 7, 2000, Jenny Gavacs and Victoria K. Sicaras, "Camera Brings Digital Imaging to the South Pole" p. 190.

School Library Journal, May, 2001, Jane S. Drabkin, review of Ice Bound: A Doctor's Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole, p. 178.

United Press International, Pamela Hess, "National Guard Poised for Antarctic Rescue."

U.S. News & World Report, February 12, 2001, Rachel K. Sobel, "She's a South Pole Survivor," p. 16.