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A seven-year-old girl who had surgery to remove a tumour from her brain has been left with a bizarre side-effect: She can't stop giggling.
Enna Stephen's parents were warned that patients could sometimes experience short term personality changes after brain surgery, such as depression or anger, but little Enna, who is from Cleveland, just has uncontrollable fits of laughter!
Her mum, Vana, 40, told reporters the little girl would chuckle constantly throughout the day, or have laughing fits that would last for 15 minutes at a time. She even came round from her operation guffawing.
Medics say the surgery has temporarily damaged the part of her brain which controls emotions.
Her mum says after all Enna has been through, her chuckles are 'lovely' to hear:
'One time her grandma held a banana like a phone to make her laugh and she was in stitches for ages. She kept giggling all the time. It was so lovely to hear after all she had been through.
'Once she started we found ourselves doing the same. It was so infectious. And it was a great way to release our emotions.'
Enna's tumour was detected after an optician observed a swelling behind her left eye in June.
Surgeons at Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary say they are confident all the cancer has now been removed, and Enna's has an 80 per cent chance of it not returning. The plucky youngster will now have 16 months of chemo and radiotherapy.
Her dad, Dougie, 44, says Enna is 'very positive' and 'a brave little kid'.