Despite Nielsen's request that publicity be avoided, her employer - a subcontractor to the National Science Foundation - was overwhelmed by media interest in the "South Pole doctor." Although NSF didn't release her name, reporters quickly filled in the blanks from information that was released. Nielsen's family and friends were soon fielding a barrage of interview requests back in the United States. Her ex-husband,with whom she has gone though a bitter divorce, told reporters that Nielsen was a bad mother who had abandoned her children and was probably making up the whole think to get attention.