A YOUNG Somerset girl was left mute and unable to walk after a routine eye test wasn't what it seemed.

Amelie Williams, 12, who lives near Wells in Somerset, was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, at age 11, after she had an eye check-up in March 2023 and the optician noticed her eyes “flickering”.

The following day, she underwent a 10-hour operation to remove the apricot-sized brain tumour – but when she regained consciousness, she could not open her eyes for the first 24 hours, and she had lost the ability to walk and speak.

Becoming unexpectedly mute for three weeks, Amelie predominantly communicated through hand gestures and passed the time listening to the Tracy Beaker audiobook series, and when she did regain some of her speech it sounded “robotic”.

Amelie then faced six weeks of “horrific” radiotherapy, which caused her to lose her hair, followed by nine months of chemotherapy and rehabilitation sessions and physio to help her regain her movement and strength.

In total, she had been in a wheelchair for over a year.

Since finishing her treatment, Amelie has started secondary school for the first time on a reduced timetable as she continues to recover – and with “hope” and determination, she is slowly re-learning her sporting, singing and beatboxing skills.

Amelie said: "(After my surgery) I couldn’t see anyone. I could sense they were there.

"I could hear them… but I couldn’t respond. 

“I felt like my body was a shell and I was trying to call out to my family, but my mouth wouldn’t move.

"Now I’m going back to school and I’m doing the same clubs that I used to – going back to my gymnastics, going back to my swimming, and I’m just working on swimming techniques.”