Nielsen returns to alma mater for graduation

The doctor made famous by her South Pole experience will speak at two events.
By JOANNN JONES
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
BELOIT -- Jerri Lynn Cahill Nielsen, a 1970 graduate of West Branch High School and the physician who diagnosed and treated herself for breast cancer while at the South Pole, will be the 2004 commencement speaker at her alma mater.
Nielsen will address the graduates and their guests at 2 p.m. June 6 in the field house.She will also give a slide presentation, "Survival at the South Pole," the day before at 10 a.m. in the high school auditorium. The presentation, which is free to the public, will be followed by a reception sponsored by the West Branch Alumni Association.
Nielsen has also agreed to sign copies of her book "Ice Bound" at the reception, although she will not have books for sale.
High demand
Her ordeal and her triumph have earned her worldwide recognition as a highly sought public speaker.
Ashley Andino, vice president of the class of 2004 and the West Branch Student Council, came up with the idea last year at graduation to invite Nielsen because she thought it would be & quot;cool to have someone famous & quot; speak at her own graduation. Andino got in touch with Nielsen's publicist, Dee Cahill, who proposed the idea for Nielsen to return to the area for that weekend.
Andino said at first Nielsen turned down the offer to speak but agreed once she realized the request was for 2004 and not 2003.
& quot;Many of us had heard her story on the news, and some of the West Branch teachers had gone to school with her, & quot; Andino said. & quot;The story inspired me, and I thought it would be nice to have her speak. & quot;
Her classmates were really excited about it, too, she said.
Once Nielsen agreed to speak at graduation, school officials asked her to speak to the public Saturday.
Scott Weingart, who will take over as West Branch superintendent in August, helped finalize the arrangements for Nielsen's visit. Weingart said Saturday's events will also include a rededication of the high school, as well as tours of the building.
Nielsen's experiences after she discovered her cancer and was isolated at the South Pole, as well as her daring rescue by the Air National Guard, were also the subject of a television movie.
She had gone to the South Pole as a doctor responsible for the mental and physical fitness of a team of researchers, construction workers and support staff. While she was there, she discovered a lump in her breast, performed a biopsy on herself and began chemotherapy treatments until her rescue.
Attempts to rescue her in early October 1999 were impeded by the weather, but several days later, a plane was able to land and bring her back.
She received treatment at Indiana University School of Medicine upon arriving in the United States.
For more information about the June 5 presentation, call the superintendent's office at (330) 938-9324.