Proudly smiling in her uniform, Fife youngster Erin Marshall could hardly contain her excitement at starting her first day at primary school.
For the last few months, the brave five-year-old has been recovering from a lifesaving bone marrow transplant after battling two bouts of leukaemia.
While other children her age have been getting to grips with their first year at school, Erin has been taking on the fight of her life.
The youngster had only started primary one at Newport Primary, Fife last August and had been there for just three days when it was discovered her blood cancer had returned for a second time.
She needed to have a bone marrow transplant – which took place in December last year.
It was a success but it took Erin a few months for her to recover.
As a result she missed out on her first year at school, so her parents Catrina Kerr and Derek Marshall decided to enrol her in primary one again.
A ‘massive milestone’ for Fife youngster Erin
Mum Catrina, 38, of Newport-on-Tay, said: “She was so excited this morning, she was up at 6.30am.
“I was asking her: ‘So what are we going to do today?’ and she was like ‘school! school!’
“I felt so emotional in the run up to her going back to school. It’s that bit or normality that everyone takes for granted.
“Taking one child to school when you know your other child should also be there absolutely breaks your heart, it is so very hard.
“So today it was incredibly emotional just seeing her in her uniform and getting her into school – it’s a massive milestone.”
Emotional morning at school for Newport-on-Tay family after cancer battle
Catrina said that while Erin was delighted to be going to school, she also had an emotional moment.
Erin’s older sister Neave, 8, was starting primary four so while Catrina saw Erin into her class, dad Derek, 48, was looking after her sister.
“Derek was putting Neave in at her door and I was seeing Erin in and Erin had a wobble because her dad wasn’t there.
“She always has to say bye to each of us everyday so she was a bit upset but then he came round and she got a wee cuddle.
“But after that she was ok, she is so affectionate.”
Young girl restarts school in Newport-on-Tay after blood cancer treatment
Catrina said Erin got the go-ahead from doctors to start school at the end of last week.
They wanted to be sure she was strong enough to mix with other children as her immune system had been compromised as a result of the cancer treatment.
And while Erin is re-starting primary one and won’t be doing the same learning as her friends, she will be with some of them as she is in a primary 1-2 composite class.
“There will be a mixture of the P1 year and some of the P2 kids and a couple of her good friends are in that class so it will help settle her.
“She is a very sociable little girl so I think she will integrate really well.”
What a difference a year makes
Catrina said it is amazing to see the difference in her youngest daughter now compared to how ill she was fighting cancer last year.
“She is so happy and so well at the minute.
“To think just eight months ago she was having her transplant, I can’t imagine we’d be where we are now.
“It was an absolutely horrific time taking her to transplant knowing there was a risk she wouldn’t come through it.
“So to see her now, eight months down the line, I can’t actually believe it. I am so incredibly proud of her.”
She added: “It’s really lovely to see Erin getting on with her childhood again.
“She is so excited to be at school with her sister and everyone else.”
Conversation