Cancer Survivor Tests Robot That Saved His Life

Jonathan Sculley stood face to face with the machine that saved his life, and for the first time, he got to see what his surgeon saw. The Georgia Tech graduate and cancer survivor tested the Intuitive da Vinci 5 robotic surgical system at Emory Healthcare, the same technology that removed a cancerous tumor from his lung.

"I've never even seen anything like this before," Sculley said. "It's quite easy to use, actually. It's quite intuitive."

The system uses cameras and robotic arms to help doctors perform complex surgeries through tiny incisions instead of large cuts. Sculley's procedure required five small incisions rather than one large opening, which meant faster healing and less pain.

Dr. Manu Sancheti, Emory Healthcare's director of robotic thoracic surgery, performed the delicate lobectomy and bronchoplasty on Sculley. The tumor's location made the case particularly challenging.

"I wanted to give him the best chance of a full recovery and a quick recovery," Sancheti said. "He's young and active, and so I knew this was going to be the technology that I used."

Sculley's journey to diagnosis wasn't easy. He visited multiple doctors over several years for breathing problems before anyone found the cancer.

"Jonathan had been to many doctors over a couple of years' period, and I think he had been dismissed," said his mother, Karen Sculley. His wife Aditi Jain pushed him to keep searching for answers.

That persistence paid off. Doctors caught the cancer at stage 1, before it spread.

Emory Healthcare now operates more than 30 of these robotic systems across their facilities, part of over 200 deployed throughout Georgia. Surgeons use them daily for a variety of complex procedures.

"It's fun in the fact that we can use these instruments that can provide patients quicker recovery and more complex care," Sancheti said. "That's where most surgeons get their fulfillment from."

Why This Inspires

Sculley's story shows the power of advocating for your own health. After years of being dismissed, he finally got the diagnosis that led to life-saving treatment. His recovery demonstrates how medical innovation isn't just about flashy technology but about giving people their lives back.

The robotic system that once seemed like something from science fiction is now helping patients across Georgia return to normal life faster. For Sculley, that means getting back to everything he loves without the long recovery time of traditional surgery.

Sculley is currently in remission and won't need another surgery unless a new tumor develops. He feels positive about his outlook and grateful for the series of events that led to proper diagnosis and treatment.

"It was obviously a very tough experience, by far the hardest thing I've ever had to go through in my life," Sculley said. "But coming out the other side, I feel totally fine now."