West Lothian five-year-old thriving once more after suffering stroke triggered by chickenpox
Just over a year ago the little girl was left fighting for her life after suffering a stroke that her mum first thought was just a sickness bug
A West Lothian schoolgirl whose life was turned upside down last summer when she suffered a stroke is looking forward to a bright future as she prepares to start Primary 2.
Olivia Elliot, now five, lost the use of the left side of her body as a result of the stroke, which came after she contracted chicken pox shortly before Christmas 2024.
But a year on, her mum has said she is “doing incredibly well” and has made progress the family could only have hoped for when she was lying in hospital.
Olivia is now using her walker and is able to take steps on her own as she continues to work towards building her strength.
Her mum Rebecca spent the summer helping her build the practical skills she needs for everyday life, including stepping over different surfaces, walking with her school backpack and carrying a lunch box.
The youngster has also built strength in her left hand and arm. She is able to open her hand and is beginning to use it more naturally during everyday activities.
Rebecca said the progress has come after “hours and hours” of therapy and Olivia's own determination not to give up.
She said: “Olivia's doing incredibly well especially when we think back to where she was immediately after her stroke.
“Just over a year on, she has made progress that we are incredibly proud of.”
Over the past year, Olivia has undergone physiotherapy, occupational therapy, hydrotherapy, swimming, strength work and neurofeedback.
Her recovery has also continued at school, where she completed Primary 1 and is now preparing to start Primary 2 alongside her friends.
One of the family's proudest moments came towards the end of Primary 1, when Olivia walked to the front of a school assembly using her walker and delivered her lines herself.
Rebecca said: "Something that might seem small to someone else, but after everything that happened last summer it was a massive moment for us.”
But while Olivia has made huge steps in her recovery, Rebecca says there is still a long road ahead.
She continues to face challenges with her mobility and left side, and the family are working on her strength, balance, coordination and independence.
Rebecca revealed that Olivia has also started to become more aware of how her condition makes her different from some of her friends. Rebecca explained that she sometimes asks why she needs splints or a walker, or why she cannot do certain things in the same way as other children.
She said this has been one of the more difficult parts emotionally as Olivia is beginning to understand more about what happened to her.
Rebecca said: “We try to keep the conversation positive while also allowing her to be frustrated or upset when she needs to be.”
Olivia's stroke came after she contracted chicken pox shortly before Christmas in 2024.
In June 2025 she woke up vomiting and complaining of a headache, with her mum initially believing she had picked up a simple sickness bug.
However, when Olivia began falling onto her left side and could not grip her mum's hand, Rebecca knew something was wrong. She was taken to Edinburgh's Royal Hospital for Children where doctors carried out CT and MRI scans, blood tests and a lumbar puncture.
They discovered severe inflammation in one of the main arteries supplying her brain, which specialists believe had been triggered by the chickenpox virus.
Olivia temporarily lost movement down the left side of her body, her speech became slurred and one side of her face drooped.
She spent eight weeks in the hospital from June 29 until August 11, 2025, before returning home.
Rebecca, from West Lothian, had already watched her daughter overcome significant challenges before her stroke. Olivia was born nine weeks premature following the loss of her twin during pregnancy and was later diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy after brain damage was detected as a baby.
Years of physiotherapy had helped her become increasingly independent before the stroke and Rebecca believes that experience helped Olivia adjust to the intense rehabilitation she faced afterwards.
Now the family are focusing on helping Olivia continue to progress without putting limits on what she might achieve.
Rebecca said: “We don't know exactly what her recovery will look like long term and we've learned not to put limits on her.
“She has surprised us far too many times already.”
Looking back at how far her daughter has come Rebecca says the change has been overwhelming.
She said: “When I think back to the little girl lying in hospital last summer unable to move her left side, and then look at her now preparing to walk into primary two with her backpack on, it is quite overwhelming.
“There is still a long road ahead, but she has already shown us just how much can change in a year.”