Birthday delight for battler Olivia Howard (From York Press)

Birthday delight for battler Olivia Howard

9:58am Wednesday 31st October 2012 in News By Dan Bean, dan.bean@thepress.co.uk

A BRAVE little girl who survived two 13-hour operations to remove a tumour is celebrating her fourth birthday today.

Olivia Howard, from Sherburn-in-Elmet, was rushed to hospital last January, where doctors discovered she was suffering from a brain tumour which measured 8cm by 5cm.

Six months have passed since her last bout of chemotherapy, and indications so far suggest that Olivia is all clear, but she will continue to have tests to ensure the tumour has not returned.

Her father, Mark, said: “We’re quietly confident, but don’t like to tempt fate.

“We ask her every so often if her head feels okay, and ask if she’s had any headaches, and she never says yes. She’s so aware now, and knows what’s what, she can find her way around the hospital as well as we can once we get there.”

Olivia has already started at a daily playgroup at Athelstan Community Primary School, where she is enjoying spending time with other children, and Mark said her intelligence and awareness constantly surprised him, and Olivia’s mother Sue.

He said: “We were going to the hospital for a hearing test and she asked where we were going. When I told her, she said ‘we’re not going back for my brain tumour?’ I just thought, where has that come from?”

Yesterday, Mark, Olivia, and Sue travelled to Bolton Abbey for a family wedding, and are set to return today to celebrate Olivia’s birthday at home.

Mark said: “She’s excited about her birthday, she keeps saying she’s five.

“We’ve got the wedding, and a lot of the family will be staying overnight, but my mum’s doing our house up with balloons for when we get back. We’re thinking about getting Olivia a grown-up bike, because she keeps telling us she’s not a baby any more.”