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Girl learns to walk and talk again after surgery

Young Lives vs Cancer Amelie peeking out from behind a tree in the woods and smiling at the camera. It is a picture taken before her diagnosis. She has long and curly dark hair which is pulled back by the sunglasses propped on top of her head. She has sparkly dangling earrings and is wearing a striped top with denim dungarees. Young Lives vs Cancer
Amelie had to "relearn how to do everything again" after her diagnosis

A girl had to learn to walk and talk again after she suffered complications during surgery to remove a cancerous brain tumour.

Amelie, 12, who lives near Wells, Somerset, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma after an optician noticed her eyes "flickering" during a check-up in March 2023.

She underwent an emergency 10-hour operation the following day to remove the "apricot-sized tumour" and then spent a year in a wheelchair as she had to "relearn how to do everything".

Now on the slow road to recovery, she wants other children diagnosed with cancer to "hold onto hope".

The removal of Amelie's tumour “caused a shock in her cerebellum” - a vital component in the brain which controls in motor movement regulation and balance control.

This meant that when Amelie regained consciousness after the surgery, she was experiencing posterior fossa syndrome (PFS), which causes problems with communication, motor skills and mood.

She said: “I felt like my body was a shell and I was trying to call out to my family, but my mouth wouldn’t move."

Young Lives vs Cancer Lydia wearing glasses and smiling at the camera. She is taking a selfie in hospital with her daughter Amelie, who is laying in bed wearing a Slazenger cap with a tube up her nose. Amelie is smiling and giving a thumbs up to the camera. Young Lives vs Cancer
Lydia (L) had to watch "helplessly" as her daughter fell ill

Amelie's mother Lydia, 43, said it was during this routine eye appointment that their lives changed forever.

The pair were quickly referred to Royal United Hospital in Bath, where Amelie underwent a series of blood tests and an MRI.

Doctors later confirmed that Amelie had a stage 4 medulloblastoma and required an emergency operation.

Lydia, who works as a teacher, continued: “I remember the doctor saying to me 'is there anything you need to know? Is there anything you want to ask us?'

"I just said ‘is she going to die?’ And he said ‘we don’t know’."

Young Lives vs Cancer An MRI scan showing the apricot-sized tumour at the base of Amelie's skull and the top of her spine. It is a dark grey patch against the light grey showing the rest of her brain. Young Lives vs Cancer
Amelie was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer at just 11-years-old

Following the operation, it took three weeks for Amelie to make her first "robotic" sound again, and after two months, she was able to use words to communicate.

Amelie also faced six weeks of radiotherapy, which caused sickness and hair loss, followed by nine months of “relentless” chemotherapy.

“It was agony for her, and agony for me every day," explained Lydia.

Young Lives vs Cancer Amelie lying in a hospital bed wearing a white hospital gown. She is unconscious and has her head wrapped in bandages and a pressure cuff on her upper arm. She is also snuggled up with a teddy elephant under her blanket.Young Lives vs Cancer
Amelie described how she felt “trapped” initially after the surgery

Since finishing her treatment in March this year, Amelie has started secondary school on a reduced timetable, and is gradually participating in the sports clubs she used to attend.

“I think cancer scares everybody, children and adults, and it carries with it a lot of negative connotations," Lydia added.

"But now, being a family that’s gone through something like that, I also feel like cancer isn’t the end.”

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