A Pen Llyn schoolgirl has returned home after enduring her second bout of brain surgery in as many months.

And the parents of Evie Hughes, 6, whose battle with a brain tumour which has already made her blind in one eye has been closely followed by the Cambrian News, have praised the “phenomenal” fund-raising campaign which will help them take Evie to Florida for pioneering ‘proton therapy’.

Heather Hughes said this week that Evie’s most recent operation shortly before Christmas had gone to plan and that the family, including Evie’s dad Geraint and brother Luke, had now returned home after spending Christmas together at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool. But Heather and Geraint face a race against time as they look to raise at least another £5,500 on top of the £2,500 already raised in order to fund their stay in Florida, which is likely to last at least two months.

“We got home on Thursday night [4 January] — it has been a long stay,” admitted Heather. “But at least everything went to plan as far as the surgery is concerned. They removed a huge chunk of tumour, and left only a small slither which is stuck to the hypothalamus and pituitary gland.

“We will have to take her back in February for an MRI scan to see how much the tumour has grown, and organise the proton therapy the same day. It was hard to try and make Christmas happen, especially for my 10-year-old son Luke. In the circumstances it was nice, and the staff were brilliant.”

After her return to school on Monday, Evie was taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd for scheduled blood tests after consultants at Alder Hey were left “baffled” by an ongoing complication.

“Her endocrinology has got the consultants a bit baffled,” added Heather.

Evie has been suffering with diabetes insipidus — where the body produces large amounts of urine due to hormone problems linked to the hypothalamus and pituitary gland — since undergoing surgery.

“Evie has been flipping back and forth,” Heather explained. “We think we have got her to safe dose of the drug desmopressin acetate, also called DDAVP, and within three hours she’s back to square one.”

But the consultants have told Heather that Evie must travel to the USA for proton therapy because the treatment is not available in the UK.

“The proton therapy has to be done. She should be out by Easter, all being well. So far, I think around £2,500 has been raised, which is absolutely phenomenal.”

Asked how much she thinks the family will need in total, Heather said she has spoken to two different families who have been through the same thing.

“One family told us they went out with £1,000 for each week and ended up spending £4,000 out there, but they did come home sooner than expected,” said Heather. “Another family said they spent £16,000 within three months.

“Usually the aim is for treatment three times a week over a four to five-week period, but it depends on how the tumour is shrinking. It will be a minimum of eight weeks, but God forbid she has a cold or infection, which might extend the treatment. I think it would be ideal to raise £8,000.”

Or you can help by donating at: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/angela-jenkinson