A mother has expressed her profound gratitude to the medical team that saved her four-year-old daughter’s life and helped her relearn how to move and speak after a brain tumour diagnosis.
Jessica Macrae, from Bearsden in East Dunbartonshire, underwent life-saving surgery at the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) in Glasgow in October 2025 after a tumour was discovered at the back of her brain. This was followed by 12 weeks of intensive neuro-rehabilitation, during which she progressed from being unable to speak, eat, or move to regaining her independence and enjoying time with her family.
Her parents, Jude Pender, 40, and Andrew Macrae, 43, first noticed worrying changes in Jessica’s health during the summer of 2025. “What started as headaches and feeling sick in the mornings gradually progressed to problems with balance and coordination,” Ms Pender said. “It was very incremental, but there were lots of things that didn’t feel right. Her colouring in went from being fine for her age to very messy, she disengaged from gymnastics because it made her dizzy, and I noticed her walk had changed.”
After an initial visit to Accident and Emergency in August and several GP appointments, Jessica’s parents returned to the RHC in October when her symptoms worsened. A CT scan revealed a mass at the back of her brain, along with a build-up of fluid. “When the neurosurgeon came to speak to us, we knew it was serious,” Ms Pender said. “We were told Jessica would need surgery immediately.”
Jessica underwent surgery on October 17, and following a short stay in intensive care, she was transferred to a ward. Her recovery was initially extremely challenging, with little movement or responsiveness and severe sickness. Medics decided to fit a shunt to drain excess fluid. Although Jessica began to stabilise, she was unable to move or speak and required a feeding tube, needing full assistance from two staff members for any movement.
Ms Pender continued: “The neurosurgeons did a great job with Jessica to get her to that point, and we are so grateful to them for saving her life. We also knew that it would take a team following the surgery to progress her movement, but we were never sure what the outcome would be.”
Ms Pender credited the intensive neuro-rehabilitation Jessica received from the RHC physiotherapy team for her recovery. Jessica remained in hospital for 13 weeks, with daily physiotherapy sessions at her bedside, in the sensory room, gym, and hydrotherapy pool. “At the beginning, her rehabilitation was like fast-tracking a baby’s development, learning to hold her head up, sit, crawl, eat and walk again,” Ms Pender said. “Her main physio, Fiona Norval, tailored every session to what Jessica enjoyed. They played games, set up obstacle courses and made everything feel fun. Jessica looked forward to her physio, and that made such a difference.”
Jessica was discharged in January and is continuing her recovery. Her speech has returned, she eats independently, her motor skills have significantly improved, and she now walks with more stability and confidence. She is looking forward to celebrating her fifth birthday in April with a trip to a farm park with her cousins—something her parents feared might not be possible just six months earlier.
“Jessica is such a happy little girl and has shown incredible resilience and determination,” Ms Pender said. “She knows she has been unwell, but I don’t think she realises just how far she has come. We are so incredibly grateful to the teams who cared for her.”
Fiona Norval, a paediatric physiotherapist with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said Jessica’s determination throughout her recovery had been “incredible to see.” “Her rehabilitation was intensive and challenging, but she approached every session with curiosity and enthusiasm,” she said. “Our aim in paediatric physiotherapy is always to make therapy engaging and meaningful for the child, and Jessica’s progress is a testament to her hard work, her family’s support and the dedication of the wider multidisciplinary team involved in her care.”
