Miracle Milli goes against odds again

WA’s miracle girl Amelia “Milli” Lucas, who has captured hearts around the State during her battle against brain cancer, has undergone a second operation by high-profile neurosurgeon Dr Charlie Teo in Sydney. After a gruelling eight-hour surgery last Wednesday, her family say Milli appears to have “defied the odds again”. Milli’s mum Monica Smirk spoke about the surgery on 6PR this week, when she told Mark Gibson it was Milli’s choice to go back to Dr Teo when they got the news the cancer had returned. Late last month, the Secret Harbour family revealed Milli’s tumour had returned — marking the third fight for the 13-year-old. The family was initially told Perth Children’s Hospital could operate to remove the mass, however that decision was reversed last week, which is when the family sought further help from Dr Teo. Milli and her father, Grant Lucas, originally from Wagin, flew to Sydney for the lifesaving operation. Ms Smirk said it was a success. “Charlie was very, very worried that when she came out of surgery, she may not walk, she may not talk and she may not see,” she said. “She came out of ICU talking, walking and she told her dad the food in the hospital wasn’t the best and asked him for a steak. I think this time we might have our miracle.” Ms Smirk said her teenage daughter continued to astound her. “When the cancer came back, she was very upset. Obviously, we’re the kind of parents that tell our kids everything, we don’t hide anything from them,” she said. “As a mum, I held it together as long as I could and told her we would fix it, so we’ve done it again — we’ve fixed her for now.” The risky brain surgery does not come cheap. After Milli’s first operation last year and extensive recovery treatment in Germany, Ms Smirk said the family had a massive financial burden. The family again appealed to the public to raise more than $43,000 for the surgery. “However, Perth got behind us once again within two days and Grant and I borrowed the rest and we got her there as quick as we can ... so we’ll think about the money later,” she said.