A Sydney mother-of-two with a brain tumour the size of a mandarin is fundraising to travel to Spain for surgery with controversial neurosurgeon Charlie Teo.
Tara Boland, 34, is unable to undergo the operation in Australia after Dr Teo was restricted from performing high-risk surgeries without approval from another neurosurgeon endorsed by the Medical Council of NSW.
The conditions were imposed in 2023 after Dr Teo was found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct. Despite holding a licence to operate from the Medical Board of Australia, he has been unable to secure permission from peers to perform procedures like Ms Boland’s.
He also revealed he received a rejection from the council following a formal request to have the conditions placed on his practice removed.
“I got a total rejection, it’s ridiculous,” Dr Teo said.
“It’s an absolute travesty. It’s tragic and (Tara) is just one of hundreds of patients.
“I have a complete licence to operate by the Medical Board of Australia, so I could operate today, if someone would allow me to operate.”
Boland, from Sydney’s northern beaches, was diagnosed with an oligodendroglioma at 23.
Surgeons removed the tumour but warned it could return.
Last month, a scan revealed it had grown back, this time much larger.
“This time’s probably harder just because I do have the two kids,” Boland said through tears.
“To go for a check-up and find out it’s back significantly, it’s hard. It’s hard to digest.”
While her usual surgeon recommended partial removal and radiation, Dr Teo was the only one willing to attempt a more aggressive approach.
“I say (to patients), ‘it’s unlikely to be cured, all you’ve got to do is leave one cell behind and it can come back again,’ but frankly, there is a very small subset of patients in whom you can do a radical resection and cure them, so I make sure that patients know that and then I leave the decision up to them,” Dr Teo said.
Boland is now raising $150,000 via GoFundMe to cover the cost of the October 24 operation, flights, and an expected hospital recovery of eight weeks or more.
“That makes me the most angry, in the sense where Teo is an incredible doctor, I’m an Australian citizen, I have my private health [insurance], I have Medicare, I should, just like others, have the choice to have the surgeon which we trust,” she said.
“It scares me packing up my family and going over there, and not knowing how long for, when I could be in Australia surrounded by all of my family and in the comfort of my own home. So it’s a hard decision, but I know it’s the right decision.”
She said Dr Teo had explained the risks, which include being left mute or with a speech impediment, or paralysis on one side of her body.
“I don’t want my children to grow up without a mum and so I need to do anything and everything that I can for longevity,” she said.
Dr Teo revealed his office receives emails from up to 10 Aussie patients a day, seeking his services but can’t afford to travel overseas.
The specialist has performed more than 200 brain tumour surgeries overseas, mainly in China and Spain. He said he understood why other Australian surgeons hesitate.
“A lot of doctors go: ‘Well, I could be radical, but boy, it’s not going to be good for me, it’s certainly not going to be good for my reputation and I’m going to pull my punches, even if the patient has an appetite for risk,’” he said.
“Is it risky for the patient or is it risky for you and your reputation? And sadly, what’s happened to me by the Australian medical governing bodies is a perfect reason why you won’t do a radical resection.”
His disciplinary ruling followed a Health Care Complaints Commission finding that he operated on two patients where the risks outweighed the benefits, and that he obtained consents considered too “optimistic.”
While Dr Teo said he accepted the conditions, he described his colleagues’ refusal to grant permission as “pure jealousy.”
“Why is it then that every administrator of every hospital where I have applied for privileges have said, yes, we’ll take you, but every neurosurgeon has said no,” he said.
“If that’s not unfair, what is?”
A spokesperson for the Medical Council of NSW confirmed it had rejected his latest application to have the restrictions lifted, saying it had “formed the view the conditions should remain in place to protect the public.”
Community fundraising efforts are now underway. Hairdresser Anthony Hall will attempt a 24-hour haircut challenge at Legends Gym in Kensington on September 6, while Penrith OzTag will host a Tag for Tara fundraiser on October 12 at Kingsway Playing Fields in St Marys.
Images: Instagram
