A Welling mum has spoken of the “traumatic” moment her daughter was diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening brain tumour at the age of four, which left her partially blind.

Brave Freya Bridle was only given a 30 per cent chance of survival after being diagnosed with an aggressive, grade three anaplastic glioneuronal tumour in October 2014.

However, after three operations and months of intensive chemotherapy at the Royal Marsden Hospital, Sutton, the Foster’s Primary School pupil is now 15 months into remission.

Her mum Kate Bridle, 39, said: “It was very traumatic. You just think to yourself as a parent, how could this have happened?

“For a time, we didn’t know if the tumour was even operable so we were very scared.”

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L-R Fragrance shop staff Angele Bull, Lauren Wilkinson, Jessica Newton, manager Heidi La Roche, Freya’s dad Mike, mum Kate, Freya (right front), and her sister Marcie (left front).

Freya, now six, had an MRI scan in January 2014 after several weeks of feeling irritable, unwell, tearful and suffering from headaches.

Scarily, doctors found a large brain tumour growing towards the back of her skull.

Ms Bridle, a science technician at St Catherine’s School, Bexleyheath, said: “I started to see a change in her face. It was subtle, but I could see it.

“We eventually found out that was where the tumour was pushing on the nerves.”

Original tests suggested the tumour was benign and doctors successfully removed it at King’s College Hospital, London.

However, just five months later Freya’s parents received the devastating news the tumour had grown back even bigger and become malignant.

Ms Bridle added: “That was our worst fear. When you’re given a 30 per cent survival rate, you just think to yourself you’re going to lose her.

“It was not a good prognosis. It was extremely rare and doctors didn’t know whether radiotherapy or chemotherapy would work.

“It was very traumatic and scary. You can’t help thinking the worst but you just seem to get through it.

“The doctors and nurses said how amazing Freya was and how she’d coped better than some teenagers. She’d been so strong and inspiring.”

Freya has been in remission since March last year and is enjoying normal school life, along with weekly swimming lessons.

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Freya with Heidi La Roche

Ms Bridle said: “I do still worry because you always have that fear in the back of your mind that the tumour could return, but you just have to try and be positive.”

After she finished chemo, Rays of Sunshine organised a holiday to Longleat, Centre Parks, with Freya’s parents and four-year-old sister Marcie.

The Fragrance Shop donate 5p from every sale to the children’s charity and Freya met staff at the Broadway Shopping Centre, Bexleyheath.

Bridle said: “It was really nice for Freya to be a little girl again and not be in hospital.

“To not have to worry about paying for a holiday is a real treat. It took the burden off us and she really enjoyed it.”