Joy spread over the face of Maisie Lossau as friends and family greeted her at a surprise homecoming party – after she spent more than eight months in hospital.
It has been a long 12 months for the Lossau family, who this time last year had just returned from a break in Turkey.
But their lives would soon be turned upside down when Maisie, 11, was diagnosed with a brain tumour in January.
After months of treatment away from home, Maisie finally came home last week and a surprise party was thrown by her parents on Sunday.
Her mother, Dawn, said: 'It was lovely, it was absolutely perfect. The first thing she said was 'wow'.'
Mrs Lossau, 44, said there were between 40 and 50 guests at the party, which she had managed to keep a secret from Maisie despite balloons popping in the hours before.
'Everybody cheered and clapped. I just wanted everyone to cheer her home,' she said.
But although the weekend was full of jubilation, bunting and banners the family, who spent eight and a half months back and forward between hospital, now face an agonising six-week wait for the results of Maisie's latest MRI scan.
'Everything is pointing toward those results,' Mrs Lossau added. 'We're just going to try and enjoy the next six weeks.'
In the meantime, the family are working to adapt their Spixworth home to suit Maisie, including finding a place for a specialist bike donated by Cyclist Fighting Cancer.
The £4,000 piece of kit helps Maisie to cycle and build up her strength, and was an item on a wishlist Mrs Lossau and her husband, Darrell, put together.
Money was raised through various events and online, and after the generous donation, they are hoping they might be able to buy Maisie a special hydrotherapy hot tub.
'She had a bath at the hospital just before we left and to see her legs kicking in the water quite freely was amazing,' Mrs Lossau added.
'It's about giving her that independence.'
Over the next few months and years, Mrs Lossau said Maisie would be in rehabilitation, with the ultimate aim of getting her out of her wheelchair.
Before she became ill there had been plans for the family to go to Disneyland in Florida, but Mrs Lossau suggested they now go to Paris where it would be easier to take the chair.
But Maisie wasn't happy with that, and was determined she would be going to Florida in the future – without the chair.
'Her goal has always been to get out of the chair, she believes she can do it,' said Mrs Lossau.
'We're talking years but she's got sheer determination.'
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