The Princess Margaret “Transformers”

6 PRINCESS MARGARET CANCER CENTRE OUR INSPIRATION For the past six years, the right side of Lorraine Robbins’ jaw has been swollen and unable to heal. Following gum-implant surgery in 2016, the 63-year-old knew the problem had gotten dramatically worse. It wasn’t until this year that she finally learned what was wrong: she had sarcoma. “Cancer, oh my God. I have been a very healthy person my whole life. For all this to happen in my retirement years, it’s surprising,” she says. Lorraine was referred to Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Dr. Jonathan Irish, a Surgical Oncologist specializing in head and neck cancer. She knew she was in the right place when she heard about his surgical skills from a complete stranger at a Tim Hortons in Muskoka. “I was talking to one of my friends about my upcoming surgery and this young man overheard my conversation. He said, ‘Excuse me. I just want to tell you that Dr. Irish did surgery on my father. The same surgery,’” she says. When Dr. Irish called Lorraine to chat about her case on a Sunday, she told him, “Dr. Irish, you’re a celebrity.” In preparation for her surgery, Dr. Irish asked his team to make a 3D model of Lorraine’s jaw to study and plan. This allows our cancer experts to optimize strategy and improve technique for future patients. “The right side of my jaw comes right out. They are going to use the bone in my leg to rebuild my jaw. They have a robotic cone-beam CT scan in the operating room. Dr. Irish will be taking images before, during, and after surgery to make LORRAINE ROBBINS: ‘I’M RELIEVED. FINALLY, WE’RE GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF IT.’