Family of a cancer-stricken six-year-old girl face anxious wait to see if her surgery has worked after celebrity surgeon Charlie Teo was called in to operate on the youngster's brain tumour

A six-year-old girl who was given just two years to live has undergone an operation by celebrity brain surgeon Charlie Teo hoping to save her life.

Maddie Suy, from Sydney's inner-west, was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma after being rushed to hospital on November 28 with a severe migraine.

After being told by doctors that Maddie's tumour was inoperable, her desperate parents turned to Dr Teo, a renowned neurosurgeon known for performing high-risk surgeries - but with prices to match.

Dr Teo wanted to operate on her to try and remove part of the tumour. 

Maddie Suy, from Sydney's inner-west, was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma

Mr Suy said the family are so far happy with how the surgery went, but stressed it's still early days and there is no cure for Maddie's condition 

After being told by doctors that Maddie's tumour was inoperable, her desperate parents turned to Dr Teo 

'Our family finally made a tough decision and decided to get Professor Teo to do an exploratory biopsy, whereby he opens up and explores, and would attempt to take parts of the tumour out where he feels would not injure Maddie,' her father Alan Suy told 7News.

On December 14, Maddie had the surgery, where Dr Teo managed to pull out some of the tumour. 

'We are still waiting results of the biopsy which could take up to a week. The results would determine the grade and malignancy of the tumour, and from there, we would be able to determine the best course of action,' Mr Suy said. 

Mr Suy said waiting for the six-hour surgery to be completed was the longest hours of his life. 

'As soon as Professor Teo called with a good result, and we saw our daughter lying in ICU actually breathing and moving, we were extremely relieved,' he said. 

On December 14, Maddie underwent surgery, where Dr Teo managed to pull out some of the tumour 

Within days, the once-sprightly six-year-old was back at home and is now walking again.  

Mr Suy said the family are so far happy with how the surgery went, but stressed it's still early days and there is no cure for Maddie's condition. 

Maddie's family set up a GoFundMe for her treatment with nearly $120,000 already donated as of Sunday. 

'We can't and won't give up on her... We just need to do whatever it takes for our little ray of sunshine,' Mr Suy wrote. 

He said he did not know how much Maddie's medical care would cost, aside from being extremely expensive, but added any donations not used for her treatment would be given to charity. 

Mr Suy said the family are so far happy with how the surgery went, but stressed it's still early days and there is no cure for Maddie's condition 

Maddie's family have setup a GoFundMe page for help with their medical costs

The Children's Cancer Institute called DIPG the 'deadliest and most devastating' childhood cancer.

'The average survival rate from diagnosis is around nine to 12 months,' the institute said.

The cancer affects about 20 Australian children each year and is incurable and inoperable, but Dr Teo believes some parts of Maddie's tumour may be focal and not diffuse - making survival possible, if difficult.

There are also other treatments like standard targeted radiation therapy - as well as a trial for a form of targeted chemotherapy.

What is Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma? 

Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas are highly aggressive and difficult to treat brain tumours found at the base of the brain. They are glial tumours, meaning they arise from the brain’s glial tissue (tissue made up of cells that help support and protect the brain’s neurons). 

These tumours are found in an area of the brainstem (the lowest, stem-like part of the brain) called the pons, which controls many of the body’s most vital functions such as breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate.

Diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas account for 10 per cent of all childhood central nervous system tumours. 

While DIPGs are usually diagnosed when children are between the ages of 5 and 9, they can occur at any age in childhood. These tumours occur in boys and girls equally and do not generally appear in adults.

Source: Rare Cancers Australia