Relieved mum thought girl’s headache was dehydration

the operation. They were also told to prepare for their daughter to spend Christmas in hospital. Remarkably, Kara, who loves swimming, dancing and athletics, was well enough to go home on December 21 – in time to help her baby sister celebrate her first Christmas. Laura said: “I asked, ‘How quickly will we know if she has any impairment?’ and they said, ‘Straight away’, and we were just bracing ourselves for her being this different person.

“But she’s surprised us all at how she’s just bounced back into the wee person she is.

“The tumour was the size of a golf ball and you just think, ‘How did that fit in a sevenyear-old’s head without having any impairment?’.

“Now, we’re three weeks post-surgery and she’s just an amazing wee miracle. I can’t believe how brave she has been. I’m so proud of her.”

Only eight months earlier, doctors at the children’s hospital saved her baby sister, when a rare anomaly meant Khloe’s first breath failed to open her lungs, leaving them filled with fluid.

The now 10-month-old, who also had a hole in her heart, spent the next week sedated and hooked up to full life-support as medics battled to save her.

She came off a ventilator on Mother’s Day and the family thought their worries were behind them, when they got Kara’s shock diagnosis last month. Laura said: “If someone said their kid’s got a headache, I’d say go to the optician first to rule things out. Opticians can pick up on so much just by looking at the back of your eye. The optician and all the staff at the hospitals were just amazing.”

The family is now looking forward to 2022 more than most, knowing how fortunate they are to still have both their daughters.

Laura said: “We want to scratch 2021 off the cards and move on. We are just so lucky to have two daughters who are so strong.”