Hoa Le Irvine, CA, USA

T-11, May 2003

Dr. Hoa Le and his new wife, Jennifer Yang, were strolling along a rocky beach in Hawaii during their honeymoon. Le fell and hit his head and back, but was able to get up and take a planned surfing lesson. An hour later he felt tired, and 75 minutes later was paralyzed from the waist down, the victim of a spinal infarction or stroke.

Le was a 3rd year medical resident at the time of his accident, and in an instant he went from being a doctor to a patient. He spent over a year rehabilitating and adjusting to his injury while Jennifer returned to her pediatric practice. "I felt like we had been married for 40 years because it isn't until you are at least in your 60s where you are wheeling your husband around, bringing him his dinner, helping him shower or bringing him his pills," she said. "You don't really expect to do that stuff when you are 30 years old."

With the support of staff and colleagues, Dr. Le eventually returned to complete his residency and just began a fellowship in oncology at the University of California, Irvine.