LITTLE Hayley Wilkinson is a happy, healthy, fun-filled three and a half-year-old.

But a year ago, she lay seriously ill in hospital, struck down by brain tumour and with doctors giving her just a 50/50 chance of pulling through.

For her Tilehurst family the nightmare began when they were on holiday and Hayley lost her balance and fell over.

Hayley then felt unwell, complained of headaches and was sick in the morning.

Her mother, Nerys, knew there was something wrong and after a day or two she took her to the doctor. She said: "I was told that it is extremely unusual for a child of two-and-a-half to complain of a headache."

Doctors quickly recognised that Hayley was suffering from a dangerous level of

hydrocephalus, fluid on the brain caused by the tumour.

At that stage, it was the hydrocephalus that threatened her life. If left untreated, it would have killed her within a week.

Hayley was rushed first to Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading and then to

the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford. She had an operation to release the fluid and a few hours later she was sitting up eating chips.

But the tumour remained and the family was warned that because it was so close to her spinal cord, she had only a 50/50 chance of surviving the operation. It was attached to an area of the brain which controlled her breathing and heartbeat so any brain

damage when removing it would have a devastating effect."

Hayley was operated on at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford on May 8, just a week after the first operation, and no-one yet knew whether the tumour was malignant or benign.

Her father Andrew, 32, and

mother Nerys, 31, waited in the family room at the hospital while the eight-hour operation was carried out by paediatric neurosurgeon Peter Richards to remove the tumour.

Several hours into the

operation, they heard the best news possible.

Mr Wilkinson said: "We were told by the surgeon that he was pretty certain that the tumour was benign and that it was not very attached to the brain. He told us that he had been able to remove it all - really that was the best day."

But there were bad days to come. The wound leaked

copiously and it had to be

completely restitched, which involved another operation.

Worst of all, Hayley contracted meningitis. For eight long weeks she was in hospital recovering, with unpleasant injections and the ever-present threat of having to have a "shunt", a tube permanently rerouting fluids from the brain.

Mrs Wilkinson said: "But she didn't have to have that, thank goodness."

The family, including brother Aran, five, stayed with her in Leopold children's ward at the Radcliffe Infirmary, but now they are all back at home and Hayley is a happy, noisy, bouncing three year old.

She still has a "wobble" which affects her balance when she is tired before bedtime.

Her parents are keeping a close eye on her development, but so far she seems fine.

While thanking their lucky stars for her recovery they would also like to thank OSCAR - Offering Support to Children and Relatives - at the Radcliffe Infirmary.

Mrs Wilkinson is planning to take part in the Flora Fun Run for Women in London on Sunday, September 2, to raise money for OSCAR. She is urging people to make donations to OSCRA at the Leopold ward at the Radcliffe Infirmary. For details, call (01865) 224330.