Brain Surgeon Charlie Teo’s Emotional Tribute to His ‘Wonder Girl’ Milli Lucas
Controversial brain surgeon Charlie Teo shares his career in a touching tribute to the teenage patient he called his “wonder girl.”
Since last year, conditions have been imposed on his medical registration, and Teo has largely disappeared from the public eye.
This week he took to social media to share a lengthy reflection on his life as a neurosurgeon and the lasting legacy of Amelia “Milli” Lucas, who captured the heart of Australia after the then 12-year-old’s family crowdfunded $170,000 to Teo’s Payable Services.
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The high-profile doctor is known for performing “last chance” brain surgery on patients after other neurosurgeons deemed the condition useless.
Amelia Lucas with Dr. Charlie Teo before his surgery. Credit: Team Millstar/Facebook
The Perth teenager lived with a rare genetic condition called Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which predisposes carriers to a lifelong risk of a wide variety of cancers, and flew to Sydney for the risky surgery.
To successfully removed 98 percent of a brain tumor during the risky surgery in June 2019, but Milli lost her battle against the aggressive growth in January 2021.
“If you want to enjoy operating on people and saving lives, you must learn to bear the burden of dying people. But there’s nothing worse than the death of a child,” Teo said.
Brave Amelia Lucas in ICU after life-threatening surgery
Heartwarming gesture for Charlie Teo’s ‘wonder girl’ Milli Lucas
Teo says Milli’s impact on his life will never be forgotten.
“Milli’s legacy is simple yet enlightening,” he said.
“When faced with adversity, you can be angry, resentful, bitter, and consumed, or you can accept the hand you’ve been dealt and make the best of what you’ve got.
“She was an exceptional example of how to make the most of your life.
“Milli was dignified, brave, happy, thoughtful, and determined. She was a captivating and beautiful soul.
“When I think about every time I saw her, she always smiled. I loved her dearly.”
Milli is in the hospital. Credit: 7NEWS
Teo called for donations to his charity, The Charlie Teo Foundation, which he said “funded the research so desperately needed” to understand brain cancer better.
“Brain cancer still kills more of our children than any other disease in Australia,” Teo said.
“It’s not fair that children like Milli are dying without cures for them. I don’t want to have to say to another parent, “I can’t save your child.”
“As a society, we cannot sit back and allow brain cancer to kill our children.”
Dr. Charlie Teo has imposed conditions on his medical registration. Credit: AAP
Teo talked about his passion for neurosurgery and compared himself to a ‘top athlete’ in terms of preparation.
Teo said the road to brain surgery was not easy, saying he initially found the field “too taxing and awful” but was later pushed into the specialty he feared most.
“I think it’s one of the most physically and emotionally taxing specialties in the medical field,” he said.
“Patients can die within minutes. It will help if it’s brutal. Ou did not make mistakes. There is zero room for error.
“When I was forced to understand it, read about it, learn about it, my thinking started to change.”
The high-profile surgeon is currently under temporary restrictions following complaints about his work.
The measures include the rule that Teo receives written support from a licensed neurosurgeon before certain types of brain tumor surgery are performed.
The restrictions will remain in effect until at least September 30.
