By Donna Hurst
C
olon and rectal surgeon Dr. Kelly Gilmore-Lynch is fighting to cure colorectal cancer with the same persistence and determination as when she pursued medical school. Gilmore-Lynch did not take the usual route through medical school, enlisting in the United States Army at age 17 where she served as a wire systems operator, executive secretary and legal specialist to help pay for college. “I wanted to go to college but didn’t have the means for it,” she says.
Gilmore-Lynch quickly discovered that being a woman in the military was no easy task — she had to labor twice as hard as her male counterparts to gain respect. “I learned that the same skills I needed to excel in the military applied to the surgical arena as well,” she says. During four years of enlistment, she became a certified paratrooper and won a host of commendations for tours of service and exemplary performance. Her perseverance paid off; she earned enough money to study biology and military science at Sam Houston State University. While in college,
Dr. Kelly Gilmore-Lynch 38 I methodisthealth.com
