Quad Cities nurse has groundbreaking 3D surgery that saved most of her lung

LECLAIRE, Iowa (KWQC) - A nurse from LeClaire was the first lung-surgery patient to undergo a new procedure at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago.

Tonni Richard’s doctor converted her CT scan into a 3D model that was then integrated directly into an advanced surgical robot using new state-of-the-art technology.

The technology confirmed it was possible to perform a rare procedure for Richard that would get rid of the cancer and keep most of her lung intact—something that wouldn’t have been possible years ago.

The 65-year-old retired Army nurse dedicated her life to caring for others, serving as an Army nurse for two decades, then in hospice and orthopedics. However, her newfound passion for pilates led her to a life-saving discovery.

Discovery during routine care

“I had been doing pila