A 12-year-old girl has returned to school in Perth after 85 weeks of treatment for a brain tumour.
Orla Blues has received regular bouts of chemotherapy at Ninewells Hospital and Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh since being diagnosed with a brain tumour in summer 2022.
She is now at the end of her treatment and well enough to return part-time to Craigclowan School, whose head teacher Liz Henderson has labelled her “remarkable”.
Orla’s father George says support from the school and her fellow pupils have been invaluable in her rehabilitation.
Perth school’s support after Orla’s shock diagnosis
The shock diagnosis was made in the middle of the school holidays.
However, staff at the school still rallied around Orla’s family with a string of thoughtful messages, gifts and visits.
Ms Henderson gave Orla a video call to offer encouragement the night before she had major surgery.
And though she missed a lot of school during treatment, Orla was certainly not forgotten by classmates in Form 8.
They raised money for Tayside Children with Cancer and Leukaemia (TCCL), which provides activities and support to families with a child receiving cancer treatment.
Fundraisers even included launching cream pies at their teachers during a recent event at the school.
‘Warmth and kindness’ helped during chemotherapy
George Blues said: “Orla is very touched, as are we all, by the way her class have got behind her.
“In fact, the whole school has been incredibly supportive during the past two years and we can’t thank them enough for the way they have helped to get us through some tough times.
“Orla is very proud of her school and the staff and pupils have been unbelievably kind from the moment we got the diagnosis.
“They have been there for us every step of the way and we are incredibly grateful.”
In the past two years, Orla has been able to attend classes occasionally for a few hours at a time.
“When Orla first lost her hair due to the chemotherapy it was quite tough for her,” George added.
“But these days she is much less self-conscious and a big part of that is down to the way she is treated at school and the warmth and kindness she is shown.
“We love seeing pupils high-five her and hearing them call out her name when she is back at school, and the fact Form 8 are also raising funds for TCCL is just brilliant.”
Craigclowan head says pupil is ‘inspiration’
Ms Henderson says Orla has been an “an inspiration to us all”.
She continued: “We are very much looking forward to seeing a lot more of her.
“Orla’s own resilience has been remarkable.
“Despite everything she has been through she always keeps smiling and her keen sense of fun.”
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