A YEAR after her family was told she had just months left to live, Trowbridge schoolgirl Charlotte Wakeham is still doing well.

The eight-year-old was diagnosed with a rare and incurable brain tumour last year and her parents were told to prepare for the worst.

This week her grandmother, Wendy Bryant said: "The doctors we saw last May said it was a case of them doing all they could for Charlotte but there wasn't any hope for her in the long term. They said she had a few months left to live."

Despite the gloomy prognosis, Charlotte's family refused to give up hope and searched all over the world for treatments.

They found what they were looking for in an anti-depressant drug called Chloripramine, which had been shown to slow the growth of tumours in adults in some early trials.

After a course of radiotherapy the brave youngster began taking daily doses of the drug and, although doctors cannot confirm it is as a result of taking the anti-depressant, a scan last month showed the tumour had shrunk.

Ms Bryant said: "We have got a better outlook a year down the line and all we can do now is look forward to this time next year and hope Charlotte is still here."

Ms Bryant now runs a charity called Charlotte's Chance of Life Fund to raise money

both for her granddaughter and other families in the same dreadful position.