Heartbreaking
BOTH OPTIONS CARRY
THE parents of a little girl battling a brain tumour are facing a devastating decision after her tenth operation failed to stop her having seizures.
Lyla O’donovan was diagnosed with a brain tumour when she was just three years old.
The seven-year-old was given a 50/50 chance of survival and underwent eight operations in the space of three years after being diagnosed with pilocytic astrocytoma.
Lyla, of Ushaw Moor, County Durham, faced a 15-hour gruelling operation after the diagnosis and spent months recovering.
Since then, she has numerous complications include being diagnosed meningitis and not long faced that with after began to suffer regular seizures
The brain tumour has left Lyla with reduced mobility and seizures, and during the operation to remove it in Bristol she lost movement in the whole of her left side – but she has bravely battled to regain her mobility.
While she needs a wheelchair to help her get around and doctors don’t know how much her brain will develop, she has bounced back to being able to carry on with her favourite hobby – dancing.
Lyla’s latest operation took place in May 2020 at Newcastle’s Great North Children’s Hospital after doctors discovered her scar tissue from previous operations had stuck together with the brain stem, which may have been contributing to her seizures.
Unfortunately, the surgery has not stopped the seizures as they had hoped, leaving Lyla’s parents with two heartbreaking options.
“Basically we have two options and both have massive amount of risk,” said dad Paul, 35.
“One is to leave Lyla as she is, but then we run the risk of her