by A woman has told how her dream wedding was saved by surgeons using a robot to remove a tumor.
Beyza Ucar, 33, was devastated to find out she had a 12cm tumor growing in her liver, having previously beaten thyroid cancer.
She had suffered from nausea, malaise, and reflux after eating, something she attributed for years to an overly sensitive stomach.
But the tests showed that he had a growth. Fortunately, he was benign and surgeons at the Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust were able to remove it, allowing him to walk down the aisle just eight weeks later.
In comments made exclusively to the PA news agency, the University of Surrey doctoral student said: “I didn’t know how I would feel after the surgery, but I knew I wanted to be able to wear my wedding dress, which was surprisingly heavy, and walk down the hall without help.
“I was actually hesitant to have the surgery because I was afraid of a major operation, but my surgeon and the wonderful team were very reassuring.
“They were so confident in the robotic procedure and how quickly I would recover that they promised I would walk around in my wedding dress and they weren’t wrong.”
Ms. Ucar met college computer professor Edward, 36, in March 2020 when he agreed to review a magazine article she was writing.
Their love blossomed online once they realized they enjoyed talking to each other and shared various interests.
Due to the Covid pandemic, they were forced to continue their romance over the internet before finally meeting in person in August 2021.
Just six months later, in February 2022, Edward proposed to her on top of Glastonbury Tor with her grandmother’s ring.
“It was a very romantic proposal,” said Ucar.
“It was a cold and windy day and I was pretty cranky going up to the top.
“I wasn’t aware of the surprise that was in store for me, but Edward was there for me all the way.
“When we got to the top, he got down on one knee, took my hand and told me how much he loved me.”
Only a few months later, Mrs Ucar, who lives in Bath with her husband, learned that she had a rapidly growing mass in her liver.
The doctors said they believed the tumor had been growing for years and that the discomfort after eating was caused by the pressure of the tumor on Ms. Ucar’s stomach.
She said: “Ed and I were so sure of our love that we didn’t want to wait to get married.
“We knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.
“I was feeling pretty bad because of the tumor, but thanks to the help of Edward’s wonderful mother, we managed to organize everything, from the dress to the venue, very quickly.
“I just needed to get the surgery off and I feel so lucky that my team had access to these amazing robots.”
Royal Surrey has four state-of-the-art robots, three dedicated to performing surgery and one to help with training.
The machines allow surgeons to use a control console to maneuver the robot’s arms.
As a result of minimally invasive surgery, patients benefit from a shorter hospital stay, faster recovery, and less blood loss and discomfort.
Ms Ucar is one of 200 patients who have successfully undergone robotic-assisted hepatobiliary surgery at Royal Surrey since the service became available.
Consulting surgeon Tim Pencavel said: “Feedback from our patients once they have gone home from a robotic procedure has been really positive.
“Robots allow us to perform complex operations through very small incisions with greater precision and control.
“This means that patients are ahead of their recovery compared to those who have undergone traditional surgery, since they do not have the trauma of a large incision in the abdomen.
“Our patients have told us that they can walk, eat and relieve pain in three to four days.”
