10th November 2012 was when I got my first MRI. The MRI was booked in the morning and I had planned to go to my friends birthday party in the afternoon. I went in for the scan, got the contrast and then another MRI. The doctors took a look at the scan. No one knew what was going on but the doctors looked concerned. They kept asking if I had any headaches or blurred vision but I didn’t. I ended up in hospital all day and mum and dad were very upset when we got home. It took a while for everyone to take in the news that I had a brain tumour and was going to need an operation. It was a worry for the whole family. No one knew what to expect. I didn’t understand any of it. I was scared and very upset.

The first operation was definitely the scariest. I went in on Monday 3rd of December 2012 at 10:00. I had to get a cannula fitted which was painful because they had to put a needle into my skin and I didn’t like it what’s so ever. We had to wait until 5pm that afternoon to get a bed so I was very tired. We had to wait all day in the wee play room. It was a very long day.

It wasn’t until the following day that I got the operation. They were going to be doing a biopsy to see what type of tumour it was and whether it was cancerous or not.

On the Tuesday morning I was very nervous. I couldn’t wait to get the operation over and done with. The Anaesthetists came to take me down to the operating theatre early. They were all very nice and friendly and they chatted to me the whole way down to keep my mind off of what was going to happen next. They put me off to sleep with anaesthetic while my mum held my hand and then the surgeons carried out the operation.

When I woke up a few hours later I was very sore and drowsy. I had a large scar down the left side of my head just behind my ear and a scar on the left side of my abdomen where the shunt had been put in. I had another scar where they had taken a bit of the tumour out for the biopsy. I was very sick because they didn’t give me any anti-sickness medication with the anaesthetic and I was really sore and upset. It was a horrible experience.

My mum stayed at the hospital with me. She slept in a kind of camp bed next to my bed. I don’t think she got much sleep though! After a couple of days I started to feel a little bit better and my family were able to come and see me. I loved seeing them because lying in a bed all day is really boring. It was good to find out what was going on in the outside world. I could also sit up and make some craft things and draw.

I got out on the Saturday morning. Hooray 🎉! The journey home was tough. I had to keep my head still so it wouldn’t get too sore and my head felt weird and out of balance but I was thrilled to be going home. I recovered much better in the comfort of my own home and bed. Unfortunately it wasn’t long before I was back in again…