It's the day a family has been waiting for, when their brave 11-year-old daughter came home from hospital - eight and a half months after she was admitted.

Maisie Lossau was diagnosed with a brain tumour in January and underwent surgery at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge on February 4, which successfully removed 80pc of the tumour.

However, she suffered a collapsed lung and by the time she came round, had lost the use of her limbs and was suffering from breathing difficulties.

After rehabilitation, she was due to return to her Spixworth home last month, but the family were hit by another set back when Maisie had to stay at Addenbroke's Hospital for six more weeks for radiotherapy after the tumour grew back.

Now, the youngster has been able to come home, and her parents couldn't be more relieved.

Maisie's mother Dawn, 44, said: 'By hook or by crook we've been dealing with what Maisie has been going through. We've been lucky to be able to come home most weekends.

'Maisie's doing really well, she doesn't seem to be suffering from any side effects, but we won't know if the radiotherapy has worked until she has an MRI in six weeks time.'

Mrs Lossau said the family didn't have a plan for if the treatment hadn't worked, but doctors had assured them it was very successful for this type of tumour so they hadn't considered it.

'We're pinning all our hopes on it working,' she added.

She said one of the things the family would miss would be the nurses and staff at the hospital.

'They've been with us in the hardest point in our lives,' said Mrs Lossau.

'We're looking forward to getting back to some form of reality, getting home and being able to do things when we want to do them.'