“She’s my devil child,” mum Sharra said smiling.

Charlie was diagnosed with a benign dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour (DNET) about three years ago.

Charlie was in hospital on her third birthday where she was first diagnosed with epilepsy, after having seizures.

“It kept getting worse and the medication wasn’t working,” Mrs McNaughton said. 

Early on, Charlie was having up to five seizures a day. She has had two separate surgeries to remove the tumour.

Mrs McNaughton said after the first surgery, doctors were confident the mass wouldn’t grow back, but it did.

“It’s one of those things you’ve got to keep an eye on,” Mrs McNaughton said. 

“They don’t remove all of it because it’s in a tricky spot.”

The family held fears for Charlie’s development, after the second surgery affected her speech.

“They found sort of like stroke symptoms within the first 10 or 15 minutes, but it must have just been the swelling because it was fine after that,” Mrs McNaughton said.

This week is the Robert Connor Dawes Foundation’s (RCD) Brain Week, a fund-raising and awareness event in schools. It is also Australian Brain Cancer Action Week.

Mrs McNaughton hopes brain week and stories like theirs increase public awareness. 

“There’s not as much help out there (for benign tumours),” Mrs McNaughton said. 

“I’d like to see more awareness in general.”

This week Warrnambool College students Tom O’Sullivan and Sarah Forbes are selling RCD Foundation merchandise at school and students will also fund-raise at the May Racing Carnival. Last year, they raised $1000.

“People were donating their change which is why we’re going after the races,” Tom said.

“Even if it’s only 20 cents, it makes a difference.”