A toddler who was left unable to speak after a giant tumour damaged her vocal cords has said 'I love you' to her parents for the first time - using sign language.
Jenna Smith, now 21 months, was born with the growth crushing her windpipe, forcing doctors to perform a tracheotomy before her umbilical cord was even cut.
Her parents Lisa and Antony, both 39, were warned it could be years before she recovers well to be able to speak.
But clever Jenna, from Penrith, Cumbria, has overcome the obstacle by quickly learning sign language.
Jenna Smith was born with a tumour crushing her windpipe which had to be removed as soon as she was born. Her parents Antony and Lisa have taught her sign language
Jenna was born with a cancerous growth crushing her windpipe. She had a tracheotomy before the umbilical cord was cut to allow her to breathe
'When Jenna was born, we were both terrified for her - we love her so much and to see her needing an operation so soon after she was born was heartbreaking,' said Mrs Smith.
'We were so relieved when the tumour was removed, but we were worried about the impact it would have on Jenna in the long term.
'We knew that the operation that saved her life might mean that she is never able to speak.
'But to see her sign 'I love you daddy' to Antony brought a tear to my eye. We are so proud of her.'
Doctors found a lump on Jenna's neck during a routine pregnancy scan and advised Mrs Smith to have an emergency caesarean section at 37 weeks.
But on 24 April 2014, she arrived three weeks prematurely and immediately underwent the tracheotomy while the caesarean was taking place, as the tumour had crushed her windpipe.
Four months later, tests revealed the lump was cancerous and Jenna needed chemotherapy.
She had seven months of the gruelling treatment, spending most nights in hospital before being declared cancer-free.
Baby Jenna was born with a growth on her neck that crushed her windpipe. Test later revealed it was cancerous and she underwent seven months of chemotherapy
Her parents are hopeful that she will be able to talk one day but Jenna, 21 months, has already mastered a type of children's sign language
'The lump that the doctors found on Jenna's neck had crushed her wind pipe so, when Jenna was delivered, they paused the C-section and to complete the tracheotomy while the umbilical cord was still attached - otherwise Jenna would not have been able to breathe,' said Mr Smith, a postman.
'The biopsy which was done on her tumour, we were initially told it was random muscle growth.
'But four months later, they found that it was cancerous and needed a seven month course of chemo.
'It was the last thing that we wanted to deal with as new parents. It had been hard enough learning how to dealing with Jenna's tracheotomy, let alone the cancer on top of that.
'We knew from start that Jenna would not be able to talk and to think of a way to communicate with her.'
While Jenna cannot talk, she is hitting all the same development goals as any tot her age and has made great leaps in the children's sign language Makaton.
Her mother learned the signing technique, made popular by the CBeebies' character Mr Tumble, and now Jenna regularly embarrasses her parents by correcting their mistakes.
'When my mum and dad come over to help us with Jenna, we often have to translate for them so that they can understand what she is trying to say,' she said.
Antony, Lisa and Jenna (centre) have learned how to communicate using children's signing technique
She spent several months in hospital having chemotherapy after tests revealed the growth on her neck was cancerorus
Jenna uses special books and watches CBeebies show Mr Tumble to learn how to sign using Makaton
'Sometimes she will be cheeky and pretend she doesn't understand the sign language. As soon as the person turns their back, she begins signing to us. She has the best sense of humour.
'I sat down with Jenna and taught her how to tell Antony 'I love you daddy'. We filmed it and sent it as a gift to him, which was so sweet.'
The family have high hopes that Jenna will be able to talk with time as she has already started to make sounds.
Doctors are waiting to see if her windpipe heals naturally but she could face further operations in the future.
'We were told that Jenna wouldn't make any noise but she can make sounds, so her vocal cords appear to work fine - that gives us a lot of hope for the future,' said Mr Smith.
'I am so proud of Jenna and how well she has coped with so much in her early years.
'Everything that she has gone through has served only to strengthen her and she is an extremely resilient little girl.'
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