Now that Dr. Craig Peters had performed a laparoscopic robotic pyeloplasty on my UPJ (ureteropelvic junction) obstruction, I was no longer going to have to worry about that. I was cured.

After a certain point, my parents and I couldn't take in any more of what these doctors were telling us. I had never had any symptoms before now, so I was shocked and scared by all this information. We were overwhelmed by the difficult medical decisions we were going to have to make.

A revolutionary procedure that seems like science fiction in most places is an everyday occurrence in the Department of Urology at Children's Hospital Boston. Though Dr. Craig Peters was regularly performing this robotic surgery, he was always easy to reach and was anything but a robot!

Often, Dr. Peters would call us in the evening to answer a question, probably after a long day of surgery. He and his staff were particularly responsive to our panicked request for an earlier surgery date than the one we originally scheduled, as my episodes of pain were increasing in intensity and frequency. Without ever letting on about how difficult it was to do, they performed miracles behind the scenes and moved my surgery up a month, while at the same time juggling the needs of other families.

Though I had allotted a week-and-a-half leave from school for the surgery and recovery time, I ended up going back to school early because my recovery was so fast. Yet, before I knew about the robotic procedure at Children's, I thought I would have to drop out of the whole semester.

I have the deepest admiration for Dr. Peters and his team for their courage in learning this procedure and for performing it with such skill. Their confidence and calm attitudes eased all of my worries.