About Chris O'Brien Lifehouse
Chris O’Brien Lifehouse is a not-for-profit, comprehensive cancer hospital in Camperdown, Sydney. From screening to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and wellness, we treat all types of cancer, specialising in those that are complex and rare. We offer patients every service and therapy that they need including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, complementary therapies and supportive services, all under the one roof.
Meet Zac
The Da Vinci Xi Surgical Robot
Your donation today will support the purchase of life-saving equipment, the da Vinci Xi surgical robot.
This innovative piece of technology allows for a minimally invasive surgical approach, giving our patients faster recovery times so they spend only days, rather than weeks in the hospital.
Your support will also be helping to reduce surgical wait times, as well as offering a potentially life saving avenue of treatment for patients who are not eligible for traditional open surgery.
The cutting-edge robot is used to treat many types of cancer. In the control of our specialist surgeons, it can manoeuvre around vital organs while getting precise margins when removing the tumour, meaning better outcomes for our patients.
"It is a platform where there is a machine that mimics the hand movements of the surgeon. Whatever we do, the machine mimics. We perform keyhole surgery...essentially it is robotic-assisted laparoscopy surgery, but we have robotic arms that have extra degrees of movement. So, it literally does whatever our hands do, but in a smaller and a less invasive approach."
- Dr Nari Ahmadi, Urologist & Robotic Surgeon
The da Vinci Xi surgical robot
for robotic surgery.” - Zac
Zac's Story
Zac
Zac was only 19 when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
"I felt a bit of pain, so I thought I should get it checked out. I got some scans, and before I knew it, I was in the surgery room."
When he and his family received the devastating diagnosis, Zac’s mum knew that there was only one place she wanted him to go. His mum had only recently been diagnosed with breast cancer, and she was currently receiving treatment at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse.
She knew she wanted Zac to have the same level of expertise and care she had, so she had him referred to Chris O’Brien Lifehouse under the care of Dr Nari Ahmadi, who specialises in urology and robotic surgery.
Zac’s cancer was aggressive, so Dr Ahmadi urgently booked him in for open surgery a week later to give him the best possible outcome.
The surgery went well, but unfortunately, Zac received the distressing news 6 months later that his cancer had spread microscopically.
The tumour was located along the spine, close to key arteries, making open surgery risky. Dr Ahmadi knew he needed cutting edge technology to get the precision needed to remove the tumour; the da Vinci Xi surgical robot.
With a minimally invasive approach, he would be able to access the tumour by going around key organs in the abdomen, rather than having to make a large incision and scoop the organs to the side.
“I was told that where my tumour was, was very close to my main vein. If they missed even by a fraction of a millimetre, they would've cut straight into my vein, and if they missed the other way, they would've cut into the tumour.” - Zac
Weighing up his options Zac decided that robotic surgery in Dr Ahmadi’s expert hands would be the best decision. The minimally invasive approach meant recovery would be only a few weeks rather than six months.
Lockdown was hard enough without being bound to your bed for six months, with robotic surgery, Zac was able to get back to the things he loved; going to the gym, studying & hanging out with his friends.
Zac’s mum recalls him being up and about the afternoon of his surgery.
“He stood up that afternoon after your surgery then; he was home within a day and walked up those stairs.” - Zac's Mum
Thanks to the work of Dr Ahmadi, Zac’s cancer was removed with precise margins, now he is coming up to his two-year anniversary and is still cancer free.
Dr Nari Ahmadi
If you would like to learn more about what is happening at Chris O'Brien Lifehouse or receive more stories like Zac’s, you can subscribe here
Please get in touch with our friendly development team if you have any questions or feedback about Chris O'Brien Lifehouse. Alternatively, you can fill in the form below, and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
Email: development.office@lh.org.au
