Ophthalmologist, athlete, epicure, daughter, wife, friend. Born Nov. 23, 1969, in Winnipeg. Died May 26 in Montreal of complications from breast cancer, aged 40.
Mila Oh entered the world with her personality almost fully formed. Born to Jae Key and In Ja Oh, older sister of Ken In Soo, she grew up in Winnipeg. A charismatic and confident child, she always drew a crowd and made friends easily. Her wit and intellect led to many academic and extracurricular successes, including a host of national and international debating and public-speaking awards.
After high school, Mila attended the University of Manitoba, where she met Ken Hunt. Upon graduation, Mila moved to Montreal to pursue her medical degree, while Ken moved to Montreal to pursue Mila. From there was born the unstoppable social force of Mila and Ken. Despite the endless string of social and athletic activities, Mila excelled in medicine and earned a place in the highly competitive ophthalmology training program at McGill University.
Mila and Ken married in Winnipeg in 1995. During ophthalmology training her culinary obsession blossomed. An essential trip to Zabar's in New York made her late for a fellowship interview. But a combination of academic prowess, smooth talking and the discovery of a shared love of hockey impressed the program head during the interview. After completing the retinal surgery program at Duke University, and extensively sampling southern U.S. cuisine, Mila returned to McGill to practice ophthalmology.
Mila loved to eat, drink good wine, laugh and share these joys indiscriminately. Her home with Ken was warm and welcoming. There was always room at their table for unexpected visitors, but they would only just have sat down before being reeled into Mila's latest scheme. One afternoon, a benign discussion about Babybel cheese led Mila to insist on creating a deep-fried version. The guests were required to sample the dish. Mila was satisfied, but only temporarily, as it was only a matter of time before she launched another scheme, demanding the full co-operation of those around her.
After her diagnosis of breast cancer in 2007, Mila endured many demanding treatments that taxed her physically and emotionally. But her passion for life and commitment to others were undiminished. She treated patients in clinic just a week before she died. Even at her most depleted, she continued to contribute to Chowhound, an epicurean website where her fans pored over her words.
Mila's life was a love song to living fully and in the present. She was at her finest when she was wildly overspending, eating outrageously fatty foods and cackling gleefully. She had a young girl's heart, brimming with stubborn conviction and pure delight. Her family, friends, colleagues and patients will celebrate her life for years to come.
By Mona Gupta, with contributions from several of Mila's other friends.