When I first met Stanford surgeon Sherry Wren, MD, I immediately liked her. The affinity was probably due to the fact that we're both from the south side of Chicago. She's a powerhouse personality. Down to earth. No pretensions. A surgeon who goes in for the toughest assignments. During her downtime she takes her expert surgical skills to the African bush for Doctors Without Borders and creates make-shift ORs in the most remote of locations. It's clear she has a passion for her profession and also for life.
I don't see Wren that often so I was surprised to learn earlier this spring about a serious disc injury she suffered that brought about a paralysis. Tracie White, one of our gifted writers who always gets to the essence of the people she writes about, has a feature article on Wren's injury and recovery in the latest issue of Stanford Medicine. In it, Wren speaks candidly about losing the use of her hands and the real possibility she would never be able to return to the OR. Sherry is indefatigable so I wasn't at all surprised in the end that she was victorious. But the road to get there wasn't easy.
This is a survivors' story about grit and determination. You'll learn a lot about Sherry and her journey in Tracie's story and in my latest 1:2:1 podcast, above.
Previously: Surgery: Up close and personal, Stanford Medicine magazine opens up the world of surgery and Stanford general surgeon discusses the importance of surgery in global health care
Photo by Max Aguilera-Hellweg
