How Charlie Teo helped a toddler, grandfather, daughter and dad live

A baby girl, a grandfather, a cherished daughter and a beloved dad; all diagnosed with inoperable brain tumours. But all four turned to Charlie Teo for help, and lived. Read their stories here.

Neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo has been unable to operate in Australia for 15 months after being banned by the Medical Council of NSW from performing high-risk surgeries.

The restrictions put in place effectively mean he hasn’t been able to perform lifesaving operations in Australia.

We spoke to some of his past patients who say Dr Teo saved their life. Here are their stories.

‘WE WERE CYNICAL, BUT HE WAS CONFIDENT’

At 13 months old, Bella became increasingly unwell, having trouble eating, sleeping and crawling.

The cause of the regression was a fast-growing malignant tumour occupying 25 per cent of her brain.

“We were incredibly lucky not to lose her then, incredibly lucky not to lose her over the space of the next week. She had four brain surgeries in that week,” her mum Robin Bates said.

Bella’s surgery at the Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital in Brisbane to remove the grade 3 anaplastic ependymoma was aborted because of the vascularity of the tumour and extensive blood loss Bella was suffering.

“They had to transfer Bella’s entire blood volume three times over to stabilise her. That was very scary. They just sewed her up leaving her skull bone out to accommodate what would happen next. It was a case of rallying just trying to keep her alive,” Robin said, revealing surgeons operated again a few days later to put her skull bone back in.

Bella just before her diagnosis.

The huge tumour in an MRI.

Bella suffered a stroke during one of those early surgeries, lost the use of her right side and suffered significant visual impairment because of where the tumour was situated.

Her second birthday was celebrated at home in Gladstone in central Queensland, on August 1, 2017, then a week later an MRI showed the tumour was back.

Bella was two when her family was told she was terminal.

She again underwent surgery, but it was unsuccessful due to the location of the tumour and risk of Bella “bleeding out on the operating table”.

“We were told to go home and make memories and that she had about six months to live.”

That’s when Bella’s parents sought out Charlie Teo in Sydney.

“He was very confident, and we were very cynical,” Robin said.

Dr Teo operated on Bella in a lifesaving procedure …

… Bell is now a happy, healthy and tumour-free.

“Having dealt with a number of neurosurgeons and failed surgeries and there’s Charlie saying, ‘I can get it out’. He was honest in saying there was a significant risk to Bella’s life, but he also said she was going to die anyway so we either had to take a chance and let him do what he said he could do or we could do nothing.”

Bella had the surgery in October 2017 and was walking the next day, though there was a complication and she had further surgery two days later.

“We are now coming up to five years from Charlie’s surgery,” Robin said.

“Bella’s scans have been perfect since then.”

‘IT WAS WORTH THE RISK’

When Ray Cox had the “worst of the worst” aggressive brain tumour removed in a high-risk marathon surgery last year, his neurosurgeon was so worried about the threat of Covid in NSW Hospitals he took him to his own home to recuperate.

“Covid had just hit, and Charlie Teo said “We can’t leave you in hospital, come back and stay at my place,” Mr Cox told the Sunday Telegraph.

“I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t him, and he treated me like family.”

The 62-year-old Lennox Head grandad was devastated to be told the slight symptoms he was experiencing were the result of a Glioblastoma (GBM), a fast-growing and aggressive brain tumour.

Grandfather Ray Cox with his grandson Eddie.

Mr Cox with his wife Marianne and son Jared.

“I had hardly any symptoms. A few weeks before my diagnosis I noticed when I was surfing doing turns I was losing a balance a little bit. Then I started to get a pins and needles in my hands and foot, only every now and then and I thought I must have had a pinched nerve.”

“They sent me for a scan and the lady came out and said ‘are you driving? She said ‘don’t drive, ever again and go straight to your doctor’.

“She said ‘I’m sorry to say this is very very serious’.”

Next two neurosurgeons, one from Sydney and one form the Gold Coast, told Mr Cox his tumour was inoperable and he was dying. He had between three and six months to live, at best.

Mr Cox was sent to Sydney for tests, knowing full well he was dying, and as he stood at the airport waiting to pick up his luggage he googled for Dr Teo’s number.

“I got his secretary while I was collecting my bags, told her the quick rundown and she told me to come in that day.”

“He said to me ‘Things could go wrong, you could die on the operating table but we can give it a go if you want’.”

Mr Cox received treatment and was operated

on by Dr Teo, he also received radiation.

Dr Teo advised the couple to record the consultation so they could listen back once the initial shock had surpassed.

“I initially said no but my wife said it’s the only chance we have. It was worth the risk.

We said goodbye to each other that night.”

Ray came out of surgery at Prince of Wales Hospital on May 5 last year with partial paralysis and 99.9 per cent of the tumour gone.

Mr Cox with Charlie Teo (left) and Dr Bleddie from the US.

“Ray is not surfing again yet because after the operation he was paralysed but he’s working with physio, walking again and moving again,” his relieved wife said.

“It’s an amazing story, it’s life saving.”

Mr Cox added: “If not for Charlie, Marianne would be living here on her own.”

‘WE ARE TERRIFIED IF WE CAN’T HAVE CHARLIE’

Scott O’Brien is your everyday dad who would do anything to save his daughter.

So when he was told 40-year-old Natalie had a death sentence by at least a dozen surgeons, the news was shattering.

“My daughter was struggling with migraines and an MRI found she had a pineal cyst that was 14mm in diameter,” Mr O’Brien told The Sunday Telegraph.

“They advised her that she can live with it as long as it doesn’t get bigger.

“Eight months later the migraines were lasting 15 hours at a time, she had vomiting, blurred vision, all these really badsymptoms that she couldn’t live with,” he said.

Natalie O’Brien was given a death sentence by multiple brain surgeons. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“When we got another scan it was 24mm and it had grown 10mm in eight months.”

Surgeons told Mr O’Brien his daughter couldn’t be saved, the cyst was in the middle of her head, directly under her brain.

“They just couldn’t get to it, that was it, they said ‘sorry we can’t help you’,” he said.

Natalie contacted Charlie Teo.

“On July 26 this year, we saw him in his rooms and he told us the whole truth. He even asked us to record the interview because he said he was going to be talking for a long time”.

The risk factors were grave and extensive. And the added complication was Dr Teo was unable to perform the operation in Australia.

“We found the money to get to Europe, you’d do anything to save your children,” Mr O'Brien said.

The operation went ahead on September 5 under the supervision of Dr Teo.

Ms O’Brien and her father Scott O’Brien, pictured 3 weeks after returning from Europe where she was operated on by Charlie Teo. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“They removed the tumour and part of her pineal gland to reduce any chance of it coming back.

“But what I’m concerned about is we don’t know what’s down the track. I’m hoping it’s a one-off operation but if it’s not then we are terrified if we can’t have Charlie.

“I just don’t know how I can repay that man, well I can’t ever repay him. Nothing will ever be good enough or show what he has done for our family.

“People in this position should have the choice to choose Charlie, to weigh up the risks of the operation then make up their own minds. Anything else is outrageous and unacceptable.”

‘HE GAVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A DAD’

Melbourne man Scott Degabriele is devastated “the world’s greatest surgeon” and the man who saved his life has been denied the opportunity to operate again if he ever needs him.

“If he was stopped from operating when this happened to me, when all the other neurosurgeons said it couldn’t be done, then I would be dead,” Mr Degabriele said.

“The world needs more people like him.”

Dr Charlie Teo has operated twice on the 33-year-old dad who was told his tumour was inoperable.

Scott Degabriele who has been operated on twice by Charlie Teo

“I first met Dr Teo after my first neurosurgeon said my tumour could not be removed. I was told that the best result would be to get another biopsy of the growth and I should enjoy the time that I have left. I refused to believe this was the end at the age of 23,” he said.

“I had heard of Dr Teo’s expertise and so I attempted to get in contact with him. I sent my scans to him and despite his busy schedule he made the time to see me ASAP.

“After meeting with him, he said he could complete the operation and clearly explained the risks involved in the surgery. He went through each element of the operation slowly and repeated the risks, encouraging my family and I to ask any questions and take any notes to help us process the implications of this huge decision.”

“He was very clear to me and he was the first neurosurgeon to explain how grave my situation was. I had months to live but had not been told this by my previous neurosurgeon until I confronted him when I returned to Melbourne and he admitted that he had known this and not told me.

“This still upsets me greatly to this day. I will always be grateful for Dr. Charlie Teo’s honesty.”

Mr Degabriele credits Dr Teo with giving him life when it was being taken away.

“And he has continued to keep me alive again and again ever since. I am now a new father and I’m so grateful he has given me this opportunity to be a dad. I now have a beautiful partner and am living the life that I’m living because of all Dr. Charlie Teo has continued to do for and with me.”