Robot helps save teen's life

Participating in sports or playing an instrument may seem like a normal part of a teenager’s busy schedule, but for Gabby Gutierrez it’s a wonderful reminder of life.

A sophomore at White Oak High School, Gabby juggles participation in soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball and playing clarinet for the band. The 15-year-old says she is appreciative of every moment — and owes a lot of thanks to a special robot that helped save her life.

Several months ago, she discovered a frightening and potentially fatal medical condition after returning from a volleyball match. Gabby noticed a lingering sore throat that she thought was the result of a cold or from cheering too much during her match.

“I felt like there was like a wad of cotton balls in my throat and it was painful to touch,” Gabby said. “The entire side of my side of my throat was tender and it was painful.”

After a few weeks, Gabby was unable to eat, drink or swallow; and she knew something more was wrong.

Gabby’s parents, Joel and Kathy Gutierrez, took her to Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune. She had complained of breathing problems and chest pains in recent years, but doctors suspected it was the effects of bronchitis or asthma.

“She was crying because it hurt so badly. You couldn’t see anything in her mouth, so we took her to the emergency room,” Kathy said.

However, even the strongest antibiotics were unable to relieve Gabby of any pain at the hospital. Doctors performed a biopsy which later revealed that a massive, non-cancerous tumor, called lymphangioma, had been growing at the base of her tongue over time and was blocking half of her throat. Without immediate oral surgery, the tumor could have been fatal.

“Doctors told us that normally a child will be born with an over amount of lymph nodes, and between the ages of 3 and 5 they find them and deal with them then,” Kathy said. “Very seldom do they make it to Gabby’s age with them still intact.”

Gabby’s doctors felt that she needed surgery immediately and sent her to UNC hospitals in Chapel Hill, where ear, nose, and throat doctors Adam Zanation and Carlton Zdanski felt that she needed a minimally invasive surgery in order to remove the tumor. They suggested using the daVinci robotic surgical system, a device that is used to remove various cancers and general surgeries but is typically used on adults. Gabby would become the first UNC pediatric patient to have the oral robotic surgery.

“When I found out I needed surgery, I was a little worried; but my mom and dad kept a really cool head so I wasn’t in total shock,” Gabby said.

On Aug. 9, Zdanski, a pediatric airway specialist, worked with Zanation, a robotic surgeon, to remove the tumor during four hours of surgery.

A typical surgery would have required doctors to make a slit down the middle of her chin and down her neck in order to access the back of the throat, which would take weeks to heal and could have led to further complications for a child.

“With the daVinci recovery time, she was talking right out of surgery and stopped taking pain medication the next day, and she was eating,” Kathy said. “It’s been a long road for us, but we’re thankful that we’re at the end of that road.”

Gabby was disappointed that she couldn’t participate in physical activities for a few weeks in order to recover, but Gabby said that she noticed an instant change in her ability to breathe, eat and speak after her surgery.

“The first thing I thought was that I had the taken the deepest breath in my entire life — I noticed an immediate difference,” she said.

Gabby and her parents returned to the hospital two weeks later for a check up, and UNC Hospitals surprised her with an invitation to the surgery room to explain how the robot was used in her surgery. She was also allowed sit at the daVinci console and operate the controls.

“It was really cool because I got to see the actual room that they operated on me in, and I got to operate the robot which was really cool,” Gabby said. “I never expected something like that. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.”

Her parents are especially grateful that one quick operation was able to save her daughter’s life.

“We are so beyond grateful and all of our girls are extremely different and I just couldn’t imagine part of that being missing,” Kathy said. “She brings her own style, but she’s such a great child and she’s so much fun. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my daughters or anyone else’s child.”

Almost two months after her surgery, Gabby is back on the soccer field and playing basketball with her best friends. She also appreciates every moment that she has to spend time with her parents and her two sisters.

“I’m extremely grateful,” she said. “Knowing that I might not be here playing with friends or doing homework or playing soccer is jaw-dropping.”