"In the United States he doesn't stand out so much," says Dr. Peter Nakaji, a general practice neurosurgeon at Barrow Neurosurgical Association of Scottsdale, Arizona. "He certainly is not looked at as the crazy guy or a maverick. I mean, he's a frequent speaker at our national meetings. And he doesn't raise any controversy, and people love him. You know, they really enjoy being around him."

Nathan Bonnici, the young patient who appeared on the program, called Teo "A legend. He's like a God. Those things they do -- magnificent."


"Charlie doesn't want to be a god-like figure," says Nakaji. "He's the antithesis of that. He spends a long time getting to know his patients and I would often be in another room and I would hear a roar of laughter. This is not something you normally hear from the room of a person seeing people with brain tumours."

"Getting involved with your patients is a very difficult topic with me," admits Teo. "It really is a two-edged sword. The flip side, unfortunately, is that it does impose on your life, it imposes on your family. I've had a lot of patients to my home for dinner. I've been to their homes, I've been to funerals, and it's really emotionally taxing. And it's exhausting and it impacts on my kids.

"I remember when I lost a little girl who was just the most beautiful girl. And I just couldn't stop crying. I cried terribly and uncontrollably in front of the family. And I cried when I came home and I cried for weeks thereafter. My children cried.

"Not all my results are good and I do operate on some people and after the surgery, when it turns out to be a malignant tumour and, I've actually hurt them with my surgery, I think to myself, 'Oh, my God, why did I do that?' And I can see my critics almost, you know, uh, revelling in my failure. But I've never had a complaint from the patient. I've never had a complaint from the families.

"I have never once approached a TV station or a newspaper to do an article on me. But if this is a means of fulfilling an end, i.e. promoting neurosurgery in Australia, promoting neurosurgical research in Australia, then so be it. I'll be out there. I'll be out there."

Whether he inspires the ire of his colleagues or claims incorrectly that he is doing what others are not, the awe of his patients cannot be denied. Many lauds from patients of Teo are easy to find online. Teo travels to other places to work his miracles, such as on Cassandra Short of Little Rock, Arkansas: "With every passing day, I am even more thankful and grateful to this man. He holds a special place in my heart and he always will. It is interesting how that someone you feel you know so well and that is so important to you may not even remember who you are. He was just doing his job, yet because of his work I am alive today!"

A transcript of Overton's interview with Teo is available here.

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