Buzz
Despite the rare occurrence of house calls, doctors are usually expected to carry out their duties within a well-structured medical facility. Yet, life often throws unexpected challenges that force doctors to perform under tough or even life-threatening circumstances. Below are 10 remarkable occasions when doctors managed to tackle these challenges head-on.
10. Jeremy Kilburn
In 2012, paramedic Tony Stanley was attempting to airlift an injured man from a hiking trail when an unexpected event occurred. As he was exiting a rescue helicopter, a propeller blade struck him in the back of the head. The top of Stanley’s skull appeared to be severely damaged, and he was bleeding heavily. Fortunately, an Air Force doctor named Jeremy Kilburn was nearby. Unfortunately, Kilburn was the very person Stanley had been sent to rescue.
Kilburn had severely injured his ankle while hiking to Big Bear Lake in Northern California. A mishap with his dog caused him to land awkwardly on his left leg, breaking his ankle. His close friend, Dan Grasso, quickly realized that Kilburn would need airlifted assistance to be safely removed from the trail. Fortunately, a nearby group of campers had a CB radio, allowing them to call for help. Everything seemed to be progressing smoothly... until Stanley's unfortunate encounter with a spinning rotor.
Dr. Kilburn immediately switched into medical mode, managing to carefully make his way down the hill with his friend, Grasso. A concerned camper had attempted to stop the bleeding from Stanley’s head, but the paramedic was still in critical condition. The Air Force doctor took charge, pushing through his own pain to keep his rescuer alive long enough for the rescue helicopter to transport both injured men to the hospital.
9. Khurshid Guru
Commercial flights come with a range of challenges. From lost luggage to the risk of blood clots from prolonged sitting, or even the possibility of a catastrophic crash. But for one couple traveling on an Air Canada flight from Spain to the US, their main concern was their young son’s asthma.
The toddler had developed a cold, and about four hours into the flight, his breathing became problematic. Unfortunately, the child’s asthma medication had been packed in the checked luggage, leaving the parents with no way to help him.
At this critical moment, another passenger stepped in to save the day. This Good Samaritan was none other than Dr. Khurshid Guru, the director of robotic surgery at Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Dr. Guru immediately recognized the gravity of the situation and began to care for the struggling child as best he could. However, the situation appeared dire.
The plane only had an adult inhaler, which might have been too complex for the ailing toddler to use. Despite this, the child’s deteriorating oxygen levels demanded immediate intervention. Ideally, a nebulizer would have been used, but without one, Guru ingeniously crafted a makeshift nebulizer from a cut-up water bottle, a drinking cup, and an oxygen mask, enabling him to provide the child with oxygen from the tank and medication from the inhaler.
By the end of the flight, not only was the child stable, but he was also playing with his mother. As for Dr. Khurshid, ABC referred to him as a 'medical MacGyver.'
8. William Angus Wallace
Those who are unfamiliar with William Angus Wallace may assume we're referring to a strong, Scottish freedom fighter. However, the William Wallace we’re talking about became widely known in the mid-1990s for his quick thinking and engineering skills, which helped save a critically injured woman during a flight from Hong Kong to London.
British Airways passenger Paula Dixon suffered a severe fall on her way to the airport. The accident broke several of her ribs, which caused her left lung to collapse. Air from the damaged lung began forming a dangerous pocket in Paula's chest, a condition known as pneumothorax. Sadly, the seriousness of her situation went unnoticed until she was already airborne.
By chance, Dixon missed her original flight, putting her on one with not one but two doctors on board. One was Tom Wong, a doctor based in Scotland, and the other was Dr. Wallace, an orthopedic surgeon from Nottingham. The two doctors quickly moved to assist Paula when her left forearm unexpectedly swelled up. Initially, they thought she had just broken her arm and applied a splint.
However, within an hour, Paula's condition worsened dramatically. She doubled over in severe chest pain, prompting Dr. Wallace to re-examine her. This time, he noticed that her windpipe was misaligned, and it soon became clear just how grave her condition truly was.
Dixon's chest, now filled with air, needed immediate drainage, but Dr. Wallace didn’t have the proper medical tools. Nevertheless, with his sharp mind and a few available items, he managed to improvise. Using an Evian water bottle, oxygen mask tubing, a coat hanger, and tape, he crafted a makeshift trocar and drainage tube. After sterilizing Dixon’s chest with brandy and numbing her with heart medication, he grabbed a scalpel and got to work.
William's bold decision paid off, and within 15 minutes, Paula was feeling better. Dr. Wallace would go on to influence aviation safety as the creator of the 'brace position,' the posture passengers are instructed to take during an emergency crash situation to reduce impact.
7. Zenko Hrynkiw
In January 2014, winter's cruel grip and Murphy's law seemed to team up against a critically ill patient at Birmingham’s Trinity Medical Center. This patient urgently required brain surgery, with only a 10 percent chance of survival without it. Unfortunately, the only surgeon qualified to perform the operation, Dr. Zenko Hrynkiw, was stuck 10 kilometers (6 miles) away at another hospital.
To make matters worse, Birmingham was being hit by a fierce snowstorm, making the roads nearly impassable. Despite the odds, Dr. Hrynkiw was determined to give his patient a fighting chance.
Undaunted by the brutal weather, Dr. Hrynkiw battled through heavy snow and ice, dressed only in his hospital scrubs and a coat. During his epic journey, the 62-year-old surgeon fell down a hill but got back up and pressed on. Along the way, he helped a stranded motorist. After enduring nearly 8 kilometers (5 miles) of treacherous conditions, Dr. Hrynkiw finally managed to catch a ride to the hospital.
After enduring his blizzard trial, Zenko successfully performed the emergency surgery. Following the procedure, he humbly downplayed the remarkable effort it took to make it happen. When asked about his extraordinary actions, Dr. Hrynkiw downplayed the feat, stating, 'It really wasn’t that big of a deal.' But for the patient whose life Zenko had saved, that heroic journey was nothing short of life-changing.
6. Christine Bradshaw
Eight years before Dr. Hrynkiw's daring feat, winter weather had tested the mettle of another courageous doctor, this time on the Scottish island of Hoy. A massive 15-meter (50 ft) wave had sunk a Singaporean tanker, critically injuring several crew members. Two of the men perished on the ship, and the third was close to the same fate—if not for the intervention of intensive care physician Dr. Christine Bradshaw.
With winds howling at 130 kilometers per hour (80 mph), Dr. Bradshaw bravely volunteered to be lowered by helicopter onto the slippery, icy roof of the tanker’s bridge. As Christine carefully approached the gravely injured crewman, the ship lurched violently, throwing her back and forth. She struggled to navigate the rocking vessel while managing stretchers and medical supplies.
The healthier crew members on board did their best to assist Dr. Bradshaw as she worked, but she was the only medical professional on the scene. And as if that weren’t enough, the storm worsened while she continued her efforts. Despite these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Dr. Bradshaw rose to the challenge. Once she stabilized the injured man, he was airlifted to an onshore hospital for further treatment.
Fortunately, Dr. Bradshaw’s brave actions did not go unnoticed. In 2007, she was honored with the Royal National Lifeboat Institute’s bronze medal for gallantry.
5. Melissa Kohn And Megan Stobart Gallagher
Normally, the words 'train' and 'amputation' never belong together. But in the rare case of a freak accident, the former might necessitate the latter. This was the reality for a 46-year-old man who had a catastrophic encounter with a freight train in July 2015. Struck at 2:30 AM at an intersection in Philadelphia, one of his legs became trapped under the train. The only option for survival was amputation.
A surgical team from Einstein Medical Center was dispatched to the scene, and doctors Melissa Kohn and Megan Stobart Gallagher found themselves tasked with the harrowing job of amputating the patient’s mangled leg at the ankle. To make matters worse, the surgery had to be carried out in the cramped, confined space beneath the train's scorching hot engine. Lying down on the ground, the operating environment was so stifling that Kohn estimated the temperature to exceed 38 degrees Celsius (100 °F).
After 40 minutes of intense and focused effort, the doctors managed to free their patient from the suffocating hold of the freight train.
4. Stuart Philip And The Anonymous Urologists
In 2011, a urology conference in Christchurch, New Zealand, was abruptly interrupted by the violent force of a powerful earthquake. The tremor brought down the nearby Pyne Gould building, prompting many conference attendees to rush to the aid of victims. Among these selfless rescuers were two anonymous doctors and Australian urologist Stuart Philip, who spent five grueling hours digging through the debris to reach a man trapped beneath the wreckage.
The trapped man’s legs were hopelessly stuck under a fallen beam, and the only way to save his life was to amputate. The problem? The three urologists had no proper surgical tools. Their only options were a hacksaw and a Swiss Army knife, both graciously provided by nearby tradesmen.
Given the situation, these would have to suffice.
One of the anonymous urologists, an anesthetist, had morphine and ketamine available, which served as makeshift sedatives. The other unnamed doctor, a woman small enough to fit into the cramped space, spent 15 grueling minutes amputating the patient’s legs above the knee. The ordeal was deeply traumatizing for her. Once completed, Dr. Philip assisted in safely lowering the man.
During the journey to the hospital, a new complication arose when the newly freed man went into cardiac arrest. Fortunately, the doctors were there to perform CPR and keep him stable until they reached the medical facility, averting a potential disaster.
3. Syria’s Underground Doctors
Since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, Syria has become a place of immense suffering. The conflict has resulted in the loss of more than 250,000 lives and left over 10 million Syrians homeless, including more than four million refugees. As the al-Assad regime clashes with insurgents for control, civilian casualties have become both a goal and an unfortunate byproduct. Healthcare professionals have also found themselves in the crossfire, with hundreds of doctors suspected of aiding rebels being targeted by government forces or imprisoned and tortured.
These horrific events have led to a large-scale medical exodus, as many doctors have opted to leave Syria to protect their lives. However, some have joined forces in a global movement to care for Syria’s injured and ill, despite the extreme dangers. Physicians from all corners of the world have rushed to the frontlines, setting up secret clinics and hospitals amidst the chaos of war.
Some medical facilities have been more organized, such as a field hospital set up by Doctors Without Borders in 2012. Run for two months by medical teams from Denmark, Australia, and France, it operated from a covert location, though the Syrian government was aware of its existence. In contrast, other medical operations have been completely off the grid, with no funding, electricity, or permanent bases. This is the case for a group of Chicago-based doctors running mobile underground clinics in devastated cities like Aleppo.
These brave Chicagoans belong to the Syrian American Medical Society, an organization committed to helping the helpless. They smuggle in essential medical supplies and establish mobile clinics that can quickly be moved if necessary. Despite the absence of anesthetics or power, these doctors perform countless surgeries under dire conditions, with operations often guided by nothing more than the light of a flashlight.
In addition to the harsh environment, these underground medical professionals constantly face the danger of stray gunfire, rocket attacks, and deliberate assaults. Their unwavering commitment to saving lives in such a perilous situation proves that real-life heroes do exist in Syria. Yet, instead of wearing capes, they wear stethoscopes with pride.
2. David Tuggle And Andy Sullivan
In 1995, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was rocked by an event far more catastrophic than any natural disaster. At the center of the devastation was Timothy McVeigh, a man who had once served his country but would later turn his weapon against it. On April 19, McVeigh packed a rented truck with explosives, including fertilizer and diesel fuel, and drove it straight into the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. The blast claimed 168 lives and left over 500 others wounded.
As McVeigh’s deadly actions unfolded, pediatric surgeon David Tuggle (pictured above) was at a local hospital, doing everything he could to save those affected by the explosion. Dr. Tuggle witnessed the first victims—children, some with shattered bones and exposed organs—arriving at the emergency room. Realizing the scale of the crisis, Dr. Tuggle and his colleague, Dr. Andy Sullivan, immediately requested to be taken to ground zero to aid in the rescue efforts.
Upon reaching the scene, the doctors were stunned by the scale of the devastation, but they didn’t hesitate to jump into action. Among the first individuals they treated was Daina Bradley, who had tragically lost her children and grandmother in the blast. Bradley was trapped under debris on the first floor, her right leg pinned beneath a support column. Any attempt to move it would risk the entire structure collapsing. The only option was to amputate her leg.
What should have been a swift operation turned into a prolonged ordeal due to a series of setbacks. The first of which was a bomb scare that delayed the rescue by an hour. During this delay, Dr. Sullivan made use of the time by gathering necessary medical supplies. Once the operation began, Dr. Tuggle had to crawl in and out of a tiny opening multiple times to reach Daina. To make matters worse, the amputation knife was too large for the cramped space, and David had to rely on disposable scalpels, which became dull throughout the procedure. In the end, he was forced to complete the surgery with a pocketknife.
Despite these overwhelming obstacles, the combined efforts of Tuggle and Sullivan ensured that Daina Bradley did not become the 169th victim of the Oklahoma City bombing.
1. Rachel Tullet
"It looked like a tsunami. My first thought was this could kill me."
Those were the thoughts racing through the mind of Christchurch doctor Rachel Tullet as she sprinted directly toward an oncoming avalanche. The deadly avalanche had been set off by a massive earthquake in Nepal, a tragedy that left over 8,000 people dead in 2015.
Dr. Tullet, a specialist in emergency and wilderness medicine, had gone to Nepal to volunteer her services to mountaineers attempting to summit Mt. Everest. However, everything changed when the region was struck by a powerful 8.0-magnitude earthquake. At the time, Tullet was in a medical tent at the base of the mountain. When she heard the rumbling of an approaching avalanche, she rushed toward the danger, hoping to warn climbers in peril. In a matter of moments, the avalanche swept Dr. Tullet into a rock.
The impact from the rock shattered Rachel’s kneecap, tore her ligaments, and caused a deep gash in her leg. Despite her injuries, Dr. Tullet shifted her focus to the 25 other individuals who had been injured in the disaster. She managed to walk without pain medication, using a trekking pole for support. With the help of another medic, she set up a makeshift clinic. She treated the wounded, identified those who had died, and oversaw the safe transport of patients on stretchers.
Out of all those Dr. Tullet helped, only two passed away after leaving her care. The morning following the avalanche, she treated her own wounds, again without any pain relief. Though she remained humble about her actions, those who witnessed her efforts praised her selflessness, and many credit Dr. Tullet with saving nearly two dozen lives.
