Keep Olivia Smiling

Keep Olivia Smiling Raising awareness of brain tumours which stole Olivia's vision in 2018. Smiling in adversity. https://keepoliviasmiling.com/

11/11/2025

Alan Carr. 💛
As many of you may know, this past week, Alan Carr won Celebrity Traitors. Winning an astounding £87,500 for the wonderful Neuroblastoma UK. For families like mine, who have been devastated by the cruel reality of neuroblastoma, words can’t begin to express what this means.

Neuroblastoma UK fund so much vital research, the money could quite literally save lives.

So, Alan. From me, my whole family and everyone around the country affected by Neuroblastoma. Thank you.

21/10/2025

Exceptional stressful few weeks over here! Olivia's dad is away for work and I also work full time in a super fast paced scale up, plus it is half term. 🥴🥴🥴🥴

Olivia is the most amazing, wonderful child but it doesn't take away the fact that having a child with additional needs is intense and unpredictable.

Last week, Olivia had to go to hospital for check up as she had quite a severe headache for a few days. Luckily, it was just viral but the fear and anxiety never ever leaves us. I really thought it was brain tumour related even though rationally this made little sense because her tumour is stable at the moment on her current treatment.

Olivia's next MRI brain scan is in January and we have now formally moved from 3 monthly scans to 6 monthly. This is meant to be a good milestone but the anxiety around longer stretches of time is sometimes unbearable. We have zero idea what is going on inside her brain during these months and we can only assess her with part intuition and part watching out for physical changes.

Olivia's emotions are absolutely all over the place and we will never ever know what is just her, what is tumour related, vision, hormones or perhaps stress related to everything she has been through since diagnosis at just 17 months old. Olivia is under a psychology team to help us manage this but it feels like such an uphill battle some days. Medical term is 'emotional lability' in brain tumours.

Everyone that meets Olivia will always tell us how smiley and happy she is and we really strive to give her the best life but she has really hard days too.

I don't really have a point to this post except maybe to send solidarity to other parents out there who may be reading and maybe so I don't feel alone in my worries!

It is bloody hard being a parent carer.

My girl!
07/10/2025

My girl!

27/09/2025

Olivia is doing absolutely amazing but it feels important to say that we still have a lot of challenges.

At Olivia's last appointment we were informed that the drugs she is on currently (which have returned a quality of life to us) are not promised to be continued into the future. It is a complex situation between drug companies and the NHS that I won't try to explain here but I have become accustomed to the fact that Olivia is having shrinkage and stability on this treatment after years and years of sickness and horrendous side effects on I just don't even want to think about the fact that she may not always have access to it.

I do not know what the future holds but I do know we still have a huge battle on our hands. The only way we have got through the last 8 years is by taking one step and hurdle at a time and not thinking too far ahead but some days it weighs heavier then others.

For anyone reading who is in this world - we are in the UK and the drugs are . Olivia's tumour is an optic nerve glioma BRAF mutation.

06/09/2025

Childhood cancer awareness month - every year I find myself mentally drained after September, it is a hard month but such an important one.

If even just one person spots a sign or symptom that can lead to an earlier diagnosis for a child we will have made a difference!

I would be so grateful if you could share any of our posts relating to this ###x

This September is Childhood Awareness Month and our little girl Olivia has been helping shine a light on the cause! Her ...
04/09/2025

This September is Childhood Awareness Month and our little girl Olivia has been helping shine a light on the cause!

Her beloved teddy, Corry, inspired the
AlwaysByYourSide 
campaign 💛 

Please support it if you can 🎗️
https://youtu.be/tYFrA_KBS28 

04/09/2025

Thank you so much for all of the messages!

I (mum) am doing that classic thing where I get overwhelmed and can't reply to everyone so just incase I don't (definitely know myself well!) I need you to know how much we appreciate all of the supportive comments and love!

It was certainly nerve wracking, and its always going to be traumatising discussing diagnosis and the worst day of our lives with the world but we do it because we are so passionate about awareness and research for amazing charities close to our hearts.

Children with Cancer UK childhood cancer is devastatingly not rare, there are 2 children diagnosed every single day in the UK alone. For those asking, you can purchase your very own Corry bear in November🐻

Did you see our brave girl? Thank you so much for having us at we had the best time meeting and , all the staff have ...
04/09/2025

Did you see our brave girl?

Thank you so much for having us at we had the best time meeting and , all the staff have been amazing!

Our super hero!

03/09/2025

Olivia will be on This Morning, ITV, tomorrow morning at 10.15am 😍

01/09/2025

So, today Olivia did THREE video interviews! Our little superstar!

You shall be seeing her soon on the TV again next week and we will update you all before it airs!

All in the name of fundraising and raising awareness which has become our lifes purpose (but its also amazing for Olivia's CV😀)

Day 4 in hospital.Olivia is still a bit of a mystery. Her infection markers are still going up and up every single day (...
04/08/2025

Day 4 in hospital.

Olivia is still a bit of a mystery.

Her infection markers are still going up and up every single day (with no apparent cause!)...but her temperature has gone for now which is a great sign that her body has battled the worst of it. She has been quite sick, which we blamed on the temperature but we guess it could have been a tummy bug.

We are being discharged on oral antibiotics for now and back in the morning to check bloods again.

Praying its a random virus and not a bacterial infection and we dont get readmitted tomorrow🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Thank you for all of the kind messages😘
Olivia is very excited to go home, for now!

Photo of Olivia's little sister holding a tissue on Olivia's finger after having a blood prick test. Olivia looks flushed, tired and dishevelled on a hospital bed with her port accessed.

03/08/2025

Our Olivia has been in her local hospital oncology ward since Friday, fighting a very high fever.

On the positive, right now she has a good (but battered) immune system to fight the cause of the infection which is still unknown 😥.

The ward is pretty depressing at the weekend as it is skeleton staff only and a medical team who don't really know her. It's impossible to even get hold of a water cup for a parent so its not been great but, sadly we are used to it and taking it in turns with Olivia's little sister in tow.

Hoping today we get some results that point to the cause of the infection and can begin to turn the corner 🙏

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