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The Tamsin Colley website

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12 June 2008

Tamsin had an MRI scan on 6 June, the first for 2 years. She will have another one in 2 years from now, and then the periodic scans may cease.

The good news is that there is no sign of any tumour or tumour regrowth. There is still a large void at the back of her head, where the brain matter has moved forward to fill the space left by the tumour being removed. That void will be there forever. On some scans it looks a bit like there is some pressure there, but the consensus view is that it is fine. Neurosurgeon Charlie Teo has said he sees no problem.

Tamsin was a very brave girl for the MRI. Previously she has had a general anaesthetic for each one. But now she is five and a half, the judgement was that she could handle the experience awake. She did so very well - with her mum resting a hand on her ankle while Tamsin was inside the machine. It made a lot of noise.

Tamsin continues to progress very well now. She is doing fine at school. In the classroom she is doing well, but in the playground she tends to be a bit reserved and not participate as much due to being less able to keeep up with the other kids running about.

The MRI scans can be found in the MRI part of this website, and the radiologist's report is in the Reports section.

13 February 2008

Tamsin has started school!

Our 5yr old who has been through so much, and at times seemed so far away from living a normal life, has commenced school with hardly a hitch. She has fallen over a few times, but that's about it. We've learned to live with the idea that she is always going to fall over more than other people.

There is a teacher's aide in the class who wouldn't normally be there, but that person is there more for another child. The aide does help the teacher make allowances for Tamsin among the total class of 23 students. She does take longer to do some things, including talking.

Her handwriting isn't great, but then she has just started school and some other kids can't do much more than write their name. She does not appear to need a keyboard/computer to write but we will keep that under review.

Tamsin has started piano keyboard lessons but we see that primarily as therapy and don't have expectations about her playing ability. The teacher is sympathetic and keen due to having had experience of a brain tumour in her family.

Bicycle riding is now easier. Tamsin no longer uses a bicycle with extra features for a wobbly child (see April 2006 update). She has inherited her older sister's bike and she gets along with just the normal training wheels on kid's bikes.

We had two weeks of holidays in January, visiting some more-distant relatives plus renting a house with a bunch of good friends. There's a video clip in the "Reports / video" section of Tamsin running along the beach near Byron Bay, east coast NSW. She's not a fast runner but she can run!

The next MRI scan is due in July this year - it will be 2 years since the last one. We hope that it is good news. We might also find out if there is any obvious reason for the rapid improvement in Tamsin's abilities over the last 2 years after relatively slow progress in the first 2 years after surgery.

Shannon, Peter and Tamsin, Byron Bay, January 2008

Tamsin flying through the air on a bungee trampoline at Coogee Beach, Sydney
on Australia Day, 25 January 2008

Tamsin, Cathie and Shannon on Tamsin's 1st day of school, 31 January 2008

The proud schoolgirl, 31 January 2008