Fundraiser launched to support Amelia ‘Milli’ Lucas’ mum Monica Smirk in devastating cancer fight

The mum of beloved Perth teenager Amelia “Milli’ Lucas is facing yet another devastating cancer battle, two years after losing her daughter to brain cancer. Monica Smirk is battling terminal melanoma after being diagnosed with inoperable tumours on her back late last year in what has become her fourth cancer diagnosis. It’s another cruel blow for the resilient Lucas Smirk family after their brave and bubbly 14-year-old Milli, whose beaming smile captured the hearts of West Aussies, lost her four-year battle with brain cancer in January 2021. When her tumour was deemed inoperable in 2019, Milli’s family raised $170,000 for high-profile neurosurgeon Charlie Teo to perform the surgery which successfully removed 98 per cent of the young girl’s tumour. Dr Teo’s surgical intervention helped Milli defy her terminal diagnosis by years, but the neurosurgeon’s controversial and sometimes risky surgeries divided the nation. It culminated in Dr Teo last week being slapped with strict conditions on his registration after he was found guilty of unsatisfactory professional conduct by the Health Care Complaints Commission. He will now need to obtain written permission from a Medical Council-approved neurosurgeon to perform certain surgical procedures. But it has not been enough to deter his supporters, with desperate Australian families following Mr Teo to India and Spain earlier this year where he has been allowed to perform surgery. Ms Smirk’s family suffers from Li-Fraumeni syndrome, a rare gene disposition which affects fewer than 1000 people worldwide and carries a lifetime risk of a wide variety of cancers. She has been forced to watch on in vain as the syndrome took the lives of her mother, brother, daughter, niece and nephew. Speaking to the Sunday Times, Ms Smirk said she knew she had lumps in her back while caring for Milli in 2021, but “couldn’t face” getting a biopsy amid the grief. She said her treatment was stopped after doctors found fluid in her lungs. She is set to have more scans in October to assess further treatment options. Ms Smirk describes her latest cancer battle as “horrific” as the family comes to terms with the trauma of losing Milli, but said she is continuing to work to support her children Tess, 19, and Joel, 13. “They’re everything, they’re my world, so I get up for them,” she said. “It’s been pretty horrific for Joel because he’s here and my daughter is in Sydney. “I try and be as normal as possible and deal with life and keep going, to show my children that unfortunately, this is our life and we cannot change it but you’ve got to stay strong, and you’ve still got to live it.” In another cruel twist, Ms Smirk said Tess, who is living and training in Sydney to be a professional dancer, is awaiting the results of a concerning annual scan. The 19-year-old, who also has Li-Fraumeni syndrome, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2016 — the same year as Milli. She fought the disease but was left legally blind. Ms Smirk said she was devastated she wasn’t healthy enough to fly over to support her daughter. The family is still continuing with their plans for the Millstar Foundation, which they started to honour their “angel” Milli in the hopes of establishing an alternative holistic cancer treatment centre in WA. She is writing a book about their story which she hopes will be able to bring in the funds to make their dream a reality. To support Ms Smirk in her fight, close family friend Cara Booth has launched a huge raffle fundraiser. More than $13,000 worth of prizes have been donated including plenty of signed merchandise from Milli’s beloved Fremantle Dockers. Tickets will be drawn on August 11. Ms Booth said she hoped to offer the family some financial relief, adding she had already received a wave of support. “Everyone knows the pain that they go through and I kept saying to Monica and Grant, I couldn’t believe the outpouring of love that I had at every stop — it was so intense,” she said. To support the raffle visit: www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1081304 or The Millstar Foundation Incorporate Facebook group.