At just eight years old Grace Frazer has been through more than most people will experience in a lifetime.
The Walkerdene youngster was diagnosed with a brain tumour in December 2014, aged just 18 months, after parents, Darren Frazer and Fiona McGregor-Frazer, noticed that her development was not progressing as it should be.
The courageous little girl was taken to Newcastle's Great North Children's Hospital on the advice of her GP and within days she was having brain surgery to remove the golf ball-sized tumour.
Go here for the latest breaking news from Walker
"She had the surgery then six months of chemotherapy and got the all-clear exactly a year later," dad Darren said.
"But she relapsed in November 2015 and had to have surgery again to remove the tumour, which had grown back the same size.
"She also had to have six weeks of radiotherapy and three months of chemotherapy."
The family said doctors told them that Grace was the first child to receive such a course of treatment for her condition, medulloblastoma.
Thankfully it was a success and the brave Hadrian School pupil received the all-clear for the second time in July 2016.
Last year the brave little girl underwent a five-year scan and the family was told she was now cancer-free.
"She is a little fighter," dad Darren said.
"She is fine now and cancer-free but the radiotherapy left her with a lot of issues.
"She now has an acquired brain injury and has traits of autism and ADHD, although she has not been diagnosed with them."
Grace also has learning difficulties and behavioural issues which means she needs additional support.
The family has been supported by charity Tom's Trust throughout Grace's health battle which provides psychological help to children with brain tumours and their loved ones.
The charity also helped Grace get a trial for a low dose of the drug Methylphenidate, known as Ritalin, to help improve her learning capability.
"We are blown away by a lot of the stuff Grace does," proud dad Darren said of his daughter's recovery.
"She has a mental age of around three or four years old but then she can play on the iPad when I have no clue what to do.
"We are still learning as we go along but things have improved dramatically," he continued.
"We don't know how she is going to be in 10 years' time when she is 18, it is just a waiting game."
Now, Darren, who is a personal trainer at James Garrity Fitness in Heaton, is halfway through a fundraising challenge for the charity to thank them for what they have done for the family.
The 44-year-old is running 5km every day in January to raise £1,000 which will provide psychological support for one child and their family for a year.
"Tom's Trust has paid for Grace to see a doctor and psychologist every two to three months," dad Darren said.
"It's not just for Grace but for us as a family as well.
"It's an amazing charity and I am just trying to give something back to them as they have done loads for us."
Darren, who has been supported by James Garrity Fitness during his challenge has raised over £300 for the charity so far.
To donate visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/darren-frazer1
To find out more about Tom’s Trust, visit: www.tomstrust.org.uk
