At 13, young Faith reached 4ft 11″ – and mum Jane was concerned.
Taking her youngest to the doctor’s office, Faith’s stature was dismissed as nothing more than needing more time to grow.
Yet, a year on, Faith hadn’t grown an inch so she was referred to a paediatrics unit for an assessment.
Earlier this year, at 15 years of age, Faith was diagnosed with craniopharyngioma – a non-cancerous tumour.
Jane, 45, said: “They think the tumour was there from the minute Faith was conceived. She’s had it all of her life.”
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The tumour had grown around Faith’s optic chiasm in the brain and through her optic nerve.
“We’re lucky because we managed to get on top of it but, if we hadn’t, then she could have lost her sight completely,” Jane revealed.
Faith’s pituitary gland, which governs a person’s height, was taken over by the tumour, which stunted her growth.
“People need to listen to their gut instinct and act on what they believe for their children,” said Jane, who is 5ft 2″ herself.
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“I knew something just wasn’t right and it’s about that really.”
Jane added: “We always worry about bothering the doctors, but if we think that something is just not right, then it might not be.”
Faith underwent a nine-hour operation in July of this year for the tumour to be removed.
“The tumour removal had gone really well,” Jane said, but Faith’s vision in her left eye has been lost.
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Jane said her daughter has been “absolutely amazing” throughout the whole ordeal.
“Even the consultants are saying that she’s amazing and they can’t believe the challenges she’s faced,” Jane said.
“She’s done it all with a smile on her little face and she’s never complained once. I don’t know how she does it.”
Jane’s friends have set up a GoFundMe page to support the family while Jane has stopped working to look after her little girl.
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