Chris Millar was my husband. It has taken me seven years since his untimely death to be able to write this blog. He was not just my husband, he was my business partner, my best friend, my soulmate. His death has left a big gaping hole in my life. In this blog I want to share some glimpses of what kind of a person he was and how he touched the people around him. I will also report on the activities of the Chris Millar Foundation for Integrative Medicine (CMFIM), a non-profit organisation that encourages and supports young GPs to study integrative medicine. Other voices will also contribute experiences and information about this field that Chris was so passionate about.

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Tribute to an extraordinary man

Dr Chris Millar’s passion was healing, and as a doctor he was much loved by his patients. This was evident when 700 of his patients and colleagues attended his memorial service in October 2014.

His was a wonderful and harmonious composition of qualities: courage, vigour, honesty, passion for his interests, commitment and generosity. His sense of purpose coupled with his intellect and imagination forged an abiding interest in researching nutritional medicine, family therapy, and neurofeedback, while maintaining a healthy respect for science. Chris always maintained a warmth, gentleness and sensitivity, endearing him to friends, colleagues and patients alike.

He truly cared for his patients, routinely going beyond time allocations and seeking solutions tailored to each individual person. He lived his life dedicated to helping people and always putting others first. He truly respected his patients, whom he treated with utmost concern, always putting their needs above his personal desires. He was indeed a humanist, seeing his patients first as fellow human beings and not as ‘cases’. He thought of each patient as important as the others, and treated them all with the fullest extent of his knowledge and time in the hope of relieving whatever pained them. While maintaining respect for traditional medicine, Chris focused on the mental, emotional and physical aspects of his patients.

He was always looking for ways to improve his knowledge through reading widely and researching innovative forms of treatment. The practice he established in Humffray Street North with his wife Soni Stecker reflected his interest in new methods of healing and realised the ideas, ideals and philosophy of healing the whole person and not only the symptoms.

When you saw Dr Chris, he was truly present with you. He made you feel like you were very important and he had all the time in the world to be there with you. He was here so vibrantly, so engaged with life. He gave generously of his time and his talent to anyone whom he encountered. There were no half-measures with anything he undertook.

There was a real sense of calm that emanated from his practice – it happened the moment you entered the front gate. He liked to practise medicine in an environment that made everyone relax and breathe a little easier. This was a place where the mind and body could come for wellbeing, both physically and mentally; a place of calm, serenity and order. This was his dream of the sort of practice he wanted to work in.

Excerpt from: Whole-person Healer – Tribute to an extraordinary man, © 2015 Chris Millar Foundation for Integrative Medicine