Brave six-year-old Malachy Pringle is back at school after having major brain surgery that doctors thought was not possible.
The youngster was diagnosed with having an inoperable brain tumour last April but his family were not prepared to give up hope.
His parents, Luke and Rebecca, were told the tumour was too big to remove safely, but they managed to find a surgeon in Liverpool to carry out the 10-hour surgery.
Less than a year later, Malachy is back with his friends at St Thomas More Primary School, in Leicester.
Mum Rebecca said: “He’s done remarkably well. Physically, he excels, and he’s learnt to swim.
“He’s a lot happier, a lot calmer, and I think he’s very proud of himself. We always knew coming back to school was going to be another big hurdle for him but when he comes home, he’s really pleased that he’s been to school.
“He does say his brain hurts when he has to think, but he’s doing well. He’s missed his friends. It’s a lovely school, they’re all so supportive.”
Class teacher Alison Bridgwood said: “We’re doing a topic on space at the moment and he’s really enjoying that. It’s a huge thing coming back to school after being off for such a long time.
“He’s gradually finding his feet and he’s doing brilliantly.
“It was devastating for all the children when he was ill. When he had his operation, the children were wonderful – they all knew that it was happening and were asking about him.
“Although they’re very little, they understood how poorly he was. They were always asking when he was coming back to school, they’ve been really excited about it.”