An 11-year-girl who returned from a school trip with a nasty cold was actually suffering from a brain condition that turned her "into a baby again".
Ffion Westwater, from Merthyr Tydfil, was feeling unwell and shivery following the three-day outdoor pursuits trip which her parents thought was a cold.
After she began began vomiting and complaining of severe headaches she was rushed to A&E where doctors wrongly diagnosed her with the stomach condition gastroenteritis and sent her home to rest, Wales Online reports.
It was only when the schoolgirl's condition worsened and she was rushed back to casualty that a CT scan at Price Charles Hospital and further tests at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, that it was revealed Ffion had encephalitis, a severe inflammation of the brain.
The condition took such a hold of the youngster that she lost the ability to walk, talk and eat by herself - resulting in her staying in hospital for months after she fell ill in July last year.
Her mum Leigh Westwater, 43, said: "It was like having a newborn again, but you couldn't pick her up as she was too big.
"She couldn't swallow and needed a feeding tube, she couldn't move her right side and she couldn't give me any direct eye contact. She was like a rag doll. It was horrendous."
The schoolgirl responded well to treatment at the paediatric intensive care unit at Noah's Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales butt none of the Ffion her parents knew and loved remained.
"Our daughter was there physically which, after what she'd been through, was a huge relief, but there was nothing else," said her dad James Westwater, 45.
"She would wake and be put in her chair and that's how she'd stay all day, void of any expression, just staring in to space."
A week after Ffion was diagnosed the family received the terrible news that Leigh had non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Leigh said: "I was on autopilot. I couldn't even think about myself. I just had to get on with it and be there for Ffion.
The brave mum underwent six months of chemotherapy while simultaneously caring for her daughter.
She said: "Even though Ffion was not outwardly responding to us, she could still hear things we said, so I kept my cancer diagnosis from her."
Six long weeks after Ffion was admitted to the children's hospital, Leigh and James were told by doctors that her condition may never improve.
But one afternoon Leigh noticed her daughter's eyes were tracking her across the room, something she'd been unable to do since the diagnosis.
She started reacting to her surroundings and only a few days later began mouthing words.
Leigh recalled: "I'll never forget walking onto the ward that Sunday morning and seeing the excitement on the nurses' faces.
"They couldn't wait to tell us that randomly, in the middle of the night, Ffion had started shouting for the TV to be put on."
However the once fiercely independent and active schoolgirl still had a difficult journey ahead of her.
She began a rigorous 12-week neuro-rehabilitation programme which included physiotherapy, occupational health and speech and language therapy and slowly began to regain her speech and movement and with it, a bit of her independence.
Leigh, who is now in remission, added: "The neuro-rehab team were brilliant. They spent time with Ffion in the hydrotherapy pool, taught her to navigate steps and pavements in the garden and even took her to the local fruit stall to practice her life skills.
"She had everything thrown at her in that 12 weeks but she took it all in her stride."
After four months in hospital, Ffion was finally able to go home.
Now aged 12 she still faces huge challenges on a daily basis, but despite being a different child to the one she was, her parents are hugely grateful for the one they now have.
Leigh ands James, who also have a 23-year-old son called Ewan, admit it is impossible to say whether Ffion will make a full recovery.
But she is continuing to make progress all the time and is now back studying at Cyfarthfa High School with one-to-one support.
They are now backing a campaign which aims to raise £1million for the Jungle Ward, where Ffion was treated, to improve its environment and facilities.
James said: "We can't fault the care Ffion received while she was on Jungle Ward and the staff there do a great job with what they have.
"But for us and many of the other families there, the stays are long and difficult.
"Having new equipment and facilities through the Jungle Ward Appeal will help make life so much better during massively difficult times.
"It's a world we knew nothing about before last year but we unfortunately know now that neurological injuries like Ffion's can be devastating and take a huge amount of specialist intervention to treat.
"We're delighted that through this appeal, Jungle Ward will soon have purpose-built rehabilitation facilities that will give children like our daughter the best possible chance at a normal life again."
To donate to the appeal visit here .
