The family of a schoolgirl living with an inoperable brain tumour are fundraising for a charity close to their hearts.
Maggie Walker’s 11-year-old daughter Sarah needed life-saving surgery three years ago after she was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, a condition caused by fluid accumulating in the brain.
Although the emergency procedure relieved the pressure on her brain, doctors informed relatives that the tumour could not be operated on.
The condition has had a significant effect on her life because she suffers from chronic migraines and ends up missing a lot of school.
Mrs Walker and her brother Alasdair MacGregor have now raised £6,046 for The Brain Tumour Charity which has helped their family.
Mrs Walker said: “Sarah was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in November 2015 and it was discovered after she suffered from severe headaches and vomiting for a couple of weeks.
“She was diagnosed with hydrocephalus and needed emergency surgery to manage it and at that point she was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in the brain stem.
“It’s had quite a huge impact on our lives, Sarah hasn’t been at school much in the last three years and unfortunately she had to give up most or all activities that she used to do.”
Mrs Walker managed to raise over £1,000 through a pub quiz night she hosted at the Springfield Bar, while her brother raised almost £5,000 by taking part in the Rust 2 Rome challenge, where he drove from Edinburgh to Rome in a car worth less than £500.
Mrs Walker was quick to thank the Brain Tumour Charity for all the support they have given her.
She said: “They’ve been fantastic right from the beginning, offering advice on things we can do to help Sarah and just generally supporting us.
“Sarah’s got three siblings, the youngest arrived two weeks after Sarah came home from hospital in a wheelchair. We kind of incorporated the whole family into how to support her in everything that’s happened.”
Katie Grier, community fundraiser for the charity was thrilled to receive the money.
She said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this money and when I went to the quiz night it was fantastic to see all the community get involved.
“What Alasdair did was absolutely amazing, the dedication he put in from sourcing the car to fixing it up to driving it was brilliant.”