Six year old Razzamataz star wins local award

Six-year-old Lyla, who is battling a brain tumour, has been named as the winner of a local award for brave children in County Durham.

She might be small, but Lyla O’Donovan definitely is a mighty little girl. The Razzamataz student has been named as the winner of the Chronicle Champion Child of Courage Award after her parents shared the story of her courageous battle with a brain tumour.

Lyla attends her local branch of education franchise Razzamataz, which helps children build confidence, social skills and creative imagination through its stage school programme. However, she’s not like her classmates, as brave Lyla has been battling a brain tumour since the tender age of three.

Parents Paul and Kirsty shared the story of Lyla’s illness, which saw her given a 50/50 chance of survival when she was first diagnosed. She underwent a 15-hour operation to remove the tumour and although she recovered well, the little fighter was then diagnosed with meningitis just a few months later. Luckily, the deadly virus was caught early by antibiotics, but complications including swelling on the brain that wouldn’t go down mean Lyla had to endure even more surgery.

Then, on top of everything else she had been through, Lyla began to have seizures in early 2018. Doctors haven’t been able to resolve her epilepsy yet.

Lyla is an incredible little girl who brings joy to her family every day. Speaking about the Razzamataz student, her father Paul said he couldn’t believe how brave his little girl has been throughout the ordeals she’s faced. He also praised the awards ceremony for hosting a fantastic evening.

“We are so proud of her. She never whinges and copes with everything that is thrown at her. She’s just brilliant. The Chronicle Champions Awards was a night to remember. Every single person who won an award deserves the praise. It was a flawless night and Lyla loved every minute of it.”