The MOZART 3D Surgical system is now up and running at the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital, less than a year after a group of breast cancer survivors fundraised more than $275,000 to bring the new equipment to the region.
The system improves accuracy by identifying clear margins during breast cancer surgery and could help potentially stop the need for additional surgeries. Mozart Mission Member Alison Bergsma says she is overwhelmed to be a small part of such a monumental medical addition to the GPRH.
“In real-time, you’ll be able to find out if all the cancer has been removed instead of having to wait for it to be sent away to pathology. That will stop some of the worry and stress, and also the additional surgeries that will be required.”
Bergsma adds the installation of the system in the hospital wouldn’t have been possible without donations from not only local businesses and municipalities but residents across the region. She adds it was an unexpected, but very welcome surprise when they reached their goal in October 2022, after starting to fundraise in May.
“We knew the community would jump on board, but it was so fast and so overwhelming, and we are so thankful that people got behind it,” she says. “Not just with money, but, also, we received a whole bunch of personal stories, which was super impactful, and just reinforced how important this is.”
