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A ten-year-old girl who suffered a stroke as a result of a genetic condition usually only affecting the elderly wowed doctors by walking just TEN DAYS later.

Ella Woodward from Chesterfield, Derbyshire, was ‘perfectly healthy’ before collapsing at home and being rushed to A&E by her mum Laura Parks.

It was confirmed that she’d suffered a stroke and Ella was found to have an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) – a cluster of veins which don’t separate properly when a baby is formed in the womb but that do not usually affect people until they are elderly.

Despite also having an aneurysm and a bleed on the brain, Ella made a miraculous recovery and took her first steps on the hospital ward just ten days later.

Former financial advisor Laura, 30, said: “When Ella had her stroke I was petrified, but mother’s instinct kicked in right away.

(Image: Mercury Press)

"My granddad suffered a stroke ten years ago and my mum had also had Bell’s palsy, so I knew what was going on.

“Her whole right-hand side had gone floppy and she couldn’t feel anything. She had been absolutely fine when she went to bed hours before and was a perfectly healthy child who was always practising her gymnastics.

“She had a CT scan which confirmed a bleed on the brain, but they didn’t operate for a couple of days in case it would right itself.

"Then another scan showed a lot of swelling, so she had surgery to remove the 4cm AVM and the aneurysm which was an inch long.

“She was then in intensive care and slept for five days solid, but we couldn’t believe it a few days later when she stood up, then took a few steps with the help of a frame. It was like a miracle.

(Image: Mercury Press)

“She didn’t enjoy the physio but she was really determined. Her bravery and courage throughout has been amazing, and thankfully she doesn’t remember the really tough parts.”

Laura and her partner Dan Owen, 28, had been living in Tenerife until last summer, when they returned to Derbyshire so that Ella and seven-year-old sister Lilli could attend a UK school.

Though Ella has had an AVM since birth, they typically aren’t spotted until the carrier is in their late 70s or 80s – with only 3% of cases surfacing in those under the age of 11.

Though she hasn’t fully regained function on her right side since the incident in October, Ella is now well on the way to a full recovery and attends school part-time.

Laura said: “It was five o’clock in the morning when Ella started making a grunting, wailing noise. We thought it was the dog at first, we didn’t know what was happening. She was saying, ‘My nose, my nose.’

(Image: Mercury Press)

“I pulled her up for a cuddle, but she collapsed to the floor. When I lifted her up, she collapsed again. I saw that her face had dropped, so I put her on my bed and rang an ambulance.

“We went to Chesterfield Royal Hospital and she was so brave. She saw me crying and put her hand on mine and said in a really shaky voice, ‘I’m OK, Mum.’ I knew then that I needed to be brave like her.

“Within a few days, she couldn’t recognise her sister and didn’t know who was around her. That was when they knew they had to operate immediately and she was in surgery for nearly four hours.

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“After the operation she showed strength straightaway. She was even speaking five minutes after they removed the tubes. No-one can quite get over her recovery.

(Image: Mercury Press)

“They got her standing up with a frame straightaway, but we were amazed when she started taking steps again. The strength and determination in that little girl was amazing.

“Once she was able to talk more, she developed a really comical personality. Previously she was the serious, loving one, but she lost her filter and said whatever she felt like. She said to one speech therapist, ‘Are you fat or pregnant?’ I was mortified!

“She was in hospital for five weeks in total and finished her anti-seizure medication on Christmas Day. The surgeon was happy that he had removed everything, but she’ll have follow-up MRI scans to make sure she hasn’t got any more AVMs.

“All Ella can remember is things I’ve told her about. She doesn’t have any real bad memories, which we’re grateful fore. She has a big scar but it’s beneath her hair – you wouldn’t know anything had happened if you saw her in the street, except that she still walks with a crutch.

(Image: Mercury Press)

“Her right leg is at 80% function, but her arm is only at 40%, so she does everything with left hand now, including writing. All of us were eating left-handed at first so she wouldn’t feel silly, so we would have a giggle when the food was going everywhere.

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“I’m unbelievably proud of her, but I do worry she’ll get bullied at secondary school next year because she is slightly slower than others her age. But I’ve tried to prepare her for it by making light of the situation.

“We have nicknames like Nemo when she goes swimming – because he has one weak fin. She finds that really funny. Or I joke that she’s like Pingu, walking round in circles. But she’s such a fighter that I know she’ll keep working at her physio until she’s got all her strength back.”