Sisters graduate on track to become a surgeon

Amber Leis was in Zimbabwe in 2001, on an international internship from Oregon State University. She held a tumor the size of a basketball in her hands.

Zimbabwe is a strife-torn country in southeastern Africa. The then 20-year-old was in a rural area at a small hospital run by a nurse, who had devoted the last 20 years to keeping the facility going.

Amber assisted in the removal of the large tumor during a hysterectomy. The nurse handed it to the only hands available: Amber's.

With this experience, she began a new dream of becoming a surgeon.

Flash forward to the spring of 2008. She has completed four years of medical school at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, one of the most prestigious medical schools in the world.

She will now embark on a six-year plastic surgery residency.

A one-year fellowship will then complete her 17-year journey from Sisters High School. She will be certified in pediatric plastic surgery in 2015.

Quite a journey for the former Outlaws cheerleader, cross country runner, art and drama student.

The journey began with the difficult process of acceptance at a medical school. Although she had a 3.9 Grade Point Average at OSU, that was no guarantee for admittance.

She made it, and entered in the fall of 2004. The first two years consisted of intense classroom work, while the last two were spent studying different medical specialties.

Leis' two-month "rotations" were in internal medicine, trauma surgery and shock trauma surgery, among others.

In shock trauma surgery, she couldn't believe what a human body could take and still survive. She witnessed bodies battered from guns, car wrecks and fist fights.

During this period, Amber often slept only two hours a night.

She said crimes involving drugs were the major reason for violence. People would sometimes shoot their adversaries in the abdomen as it was considered better revenge than killing them. Also, it didn't carry a murder charge.

She said the university is located in a rough part of Baltimore, where you didn't go out at night.

Leis carried mace and parked as close as possible when working late shifts. She said this life style was quite a "shock" after Corvallis and Sisters.

One rotation in pediatric plastic surgery crystallized Leis's future.

"This is what I love," she said.

She enjoys the emotional bonding with families that happens when a surgeon helps their children.

One example she gave is the case of a child born with an oddly-shaped skull, resembling a football. The shape restricts space for the brain to grow - with disastrous results. They are usually six months to a year in age when they undergo surgery.

The surgeon fixes the problem with an incision from ear to ear across the top of the head, Leis said. The face is peeled down to expose the top part of the skull.

A specially-designed saw is then used to remove the top part of the head. The skull is sawed into strips and reconstructed to allow room for proper brain development.

The operation takes five to six hours, but the outcome for these children is good.

Another procedure Leis described is taking cartilage from a rib and reconstructing an ear.

Amber credits her extended family with giving her the support she needs to achieve her goals, including her natural parents and step-parents. "They have all been wonderful," she said.

Her parents divorced when Amber was in sixth grade. Her father, Ron Leis, is now married to Shawn Leis.

Amber's mother, Heidi Fernandez, is married to Larry Fernandez.

All together Amber has 10 siblings and half-siblings.

She will serve her residency at Loma Linda University Medical Center east of Los Angeles.

Amber's future plans are to locate in the Pacific Northwest. That would mean Portland or Seattle, as her specialty requires a large hospital.