A TEENAGER

who had brain surgery in January has passed her GCSEs with flying colours.

Abigail Holvey, 16, put her headaches and sickness down to the stress of her exams but an MRI scan revealed that part of her brain was expanding into her spinal canal.

Arnold-Chiari malformation (type 1) causes the lowest part of the back of the brain to extend into the spinal canal.

It can result in pressure being added to the brainstem and spinal cord and can also obstruct the flow of fluid.

Abigail, a student at Pontypridd High School, said: “It had been going on for months. I was having headaches and you can also get symptoms like sickness. It was initially put down to the stress of exams but then I was sent for an MRI scan.

“The results showed I needed surgery – I was then transferred to the neurosurgeon.”

After her operation, she needed six weeks off school but didn’t want to just sit back and rest as doctors ordered.

She had as much work sent home to her as she could – and she was always asking for more.

Her teachers, who described her as “diligent and conscientious”, said she did all she could to make sure she achieved her goals.

Despite all of her hard work, Abigail admitted the journey to picking up her GCSE results was a struggle.

“It was hard for me to revise for the exams because I was still recovering from the operation,” she added. “My concentration wasn’t the best – I found it hard to concentrate for a long time. The exams were the same but I was a lot better by then.”

Yesterday, she discovered she had got a selection of As, Bs, and Cs, and she couldn’t be happier.

“I wanted to make sure I passed the exams,” Abigail added. “That was the main motive - that I passed everything.

“The school has been really supportive and I want to come back to sixth form to study subjects such as biology and English literature. I want to be a paramedic eventually – they’ve really inspired me.”