A baby born with a rare tumour which weighed more than a kilogram has defied the odds to celebrate her first birthday.
Lily Graham was born on May 5 last year but was quickly whisked away by medics who discovered she had a rare tumour called Sacrococcygeal Teratoma (SCT).
The tumour weighed more than 1kg and grew from Lily's tailbone round and over her abdomen to her rib cage.
When she was just two days old doctors performed a nine-hour operation to remove the mass and her parents faced an agonising six week wait to take her home.
The tumour has left Lily with a series of health problems affecting her lungs, kidneys and bladder.
Worried mum Nikki Aitken, 28 said she doesn't' know if Lily will meet her milestones like walking and crawling but was delighted to celebrate her first birthday last week.
Mum-of-three Nikki, from Grangemouth, near Falkirk, said: "When I was pregnant with Lily, I suffered really bad morning sickness.
"They told us at 20 weeks there was something wrong with her but didn't actually know what it was. We thought okay, this will be hard, but whatever it is we can get through it.
"I had Lily on May 5 and as soon as I had her she had to get taken away, as she was struggling to breathe. The doctors then discovered she had a very rare internal tumour called Sacrococcygeal Teratoma (SCT), and it weighed over a kilo.
"We were in a state of total shock. When she was two days old, she had to go for a nine-hour operation to remove the tumour. She then had to stay in hospital for six weeks, until we got her home."
Just two weeks later Lily was rushed to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow where a second operation was performed when her bowels became obstructed.
Nikki said: "On her eighth week, she started projectile vomiting, so we took her to Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow and they did an emergency operation on her.
"Ever since we have been in and out of hospital for checks, I felt I could have moved into the hospital at one stage. "We've had a few scares, and at one point in December last year, we thought her tumour may be returning, luckily she got the all-clear.
Nikki and dad Gary Graham, 29, took 'miracle' baby Lily, her sister Ellie, seven, and brother Owen, three, to the zoo to celebrate her first birthday.
Delighted Nikki said: "She is a bit of a miracle, when she was born, she couldn't breathe and had to go through lifesaving operations. She's defied the odds.
"Normally for the first birthday, we would get all the family round and have a massive party, but it was really lovely, it being just the five of us after the last year.
"We went around the Five Sisters Zoo, in West Calder, and Lily was loving it - her particular favourite being the parrots.
"At one stage we didn't even know we were going to get here, with all of Lily's health concerns, and if she would be well enough to spend her first birthday with us. So it was lovely to be able to spend her birthday all together as a proper family."
Nikki and Gary, a sign fitter, were due to get married in July last year but put the wedding on hold after finding out there were complications with the pregnancy.
She added: "We just take it day by day, and we know a lot of things aren't going to be the same for Lily. She's prone to infections due to her kidney and bladder problems.
"We don't know if she's going to be able to crawl and walk, the usual stuff kids are able to do. The health problems aren't going to go away and fix themselves, and as she gets older she going to have to accept that.
"It's been hard, but this is where we are at and we need to accept it. You just need to pick yourself up and keep going.
"Days like celebrating her first birthday alongside her family are what make it all worth it. Hopefully one day we can rearrange the wedding, with the family there, but it's not the most important things on our mind right now."
