From rescuer to patient: a trauma surgeon’s skiing injury journey

I have spent 15 years as an orthopaedic trauma surgeon at China’s National Centre for Orthopaedics, managing severe injuries calmly and guiding patients compassionately through their fears and uncertainties. As part of the alpine skiing rescue team at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games, I treated critical ski injuries, notably in the Men’s Downhill event, becoming the first Chinese doctor to stand on an Olympic alpine skiing course ( figure 1). Yet nothing fully prepared me for the moment when I became the injured patient myself.