Chris McCulloh is set to graduate from Case Western Reserve University Medical School May 19th. The pediatric surgeon did his clinicals at Rainbow Babies & Children's hospital and is set to do his residency at Morristown Memorial Hospital in New Jersey.

He got national exposure last week when the syndicated TV show, “The Doctors,” aired a feature on him.

What makes him unusual? McCulloh is paralyzed below the waist.

Five years ago he slipped and fell onto a glass coffee table, twisting his spinal cord.

Would his dream of becoming a doctor be over?

“I thought, ‘Well, even if I can go to medical school, I can’t be a surgeon.’ Surgeons stand up, you know. They all stand up,” McCulloh said.

As he went through rehabilitation therapy, a doctor encouraged him: “As long as you can find a way to get to the table, what does it matter?”

His wheelchair adjusts into a nearly upright position, giving him access to his child patients.

He has been an inspiration at the hospital and the medical school, said Dr. Edward Barksdale, chief of pediatric surgery at Rainbow.

“He has the hands of a great surgeon, the heart of a lion. He’s an incredible person.”