da Vinci Xi Surgery earns accolades of patient, caregiver

At the age of 79, Dorothy Bunch never had a hospital stay, and certainly no surgeries. So when she was faced with a cancer diagnosis and the need to have surgery, she honestly didn’t know what fear looked like. She had faith everything would be OK.

“God is in every hospital,” Bunch said.

Bunch said her faith was confirmed by the presence of her caregiver, Brenda Carter, and the assurances of Dr. Jordan Shealy, who provided information and guidance in preparation for the da Vinci Xi robotic surgery he planned for removal of the mass.

In fact, Carter said she was more concerned about the surgery than Bunch was, but those reservations were quickly erased as she was educated about the process.

“The way Dr. Shealy explained it and how he said they didn’t have to cut her like normal, I thought to myself, ‘OK, it sounds scary, but someone must be pretty steady with their hands!,’” Carter said.

Even though the mass was larger than all parties anticipated, the surgery was a success. Bunch said she got up and began walking the next day, which was a full 180-degree turn from how she felt prior to the surgery. There were no more sleepless nights laying awake watching TV. Her appetite returned to normal, and not long after, she had the urge to get up and dance – even though Carter felt that was too much, too soon.

“I wasn’t in a lot of pain,” Bunch said. “You aren’t supposed to enjoy operations, but I enjoyed that process. I don’t think anyone came out of their surgery any better than me. I’m very proud of Dr. Shealy and the team that did my surgery.”

The team effort was also noted by Carter, who said the surgical services team thoroughly explained the process and showed great teamwork. Their efforts have resulted in Bunch planning trips this fall to Florida and New Jersey to visit family.

“She was well taken care of,” Carter said. “The nurses were nice, and whatever she needed was provided for her. I’m proud of the care she had and the surgery. I’m happy.”