Megan Armstrong’s hits emotional milestone

Jul 30 2009 by Paul Loraine, The Journal

MOVING to a more senior school is a rite of passage for all children.

But it’s a defining moment nine-year-old Megan Armstrong’s parents thought she’d never see.

Megan, who is battling a brain tumour, is to set to start at Highfield Middle School in Prudhoe, Northumberland, in September.

When she started at her previous school, Mickley First School, her parents Philip and Sandra, both 41, were not sure how much more time they would have with her.

Megan’s mum Sandra, of Prudhoe, said: “It’s such a big step for Megan, going to middle school – it’s a real milestone that we never thought we’d reach.

“When you are in this situation, you don’t want to think that far ahead – you take everything as it comes. We never thought this day would come.”

Megan is enjoying a new lease of life after finishing a three-year long spell of chemotherapy a year ago.

She had been receiving Vinblastine treatment over the longest period any child worldwide has endured.

Having come off the drug, she has scans every three months, and they have shown no growth in the tumour.

And now, Megan is set to start a new challenge at Highfield after a family holiday to the Maldives.