Boxing Day: A Girls’ Reunion, The Fart That Gave Us Our Prankster Maya Back

Our Boxing Day 2025 was tender and full of little moments that somehow felt big.

We spent a good part of the day on video call with my mother, aka Nanny Marsha, all the way in the Philippines (8 hours time difference), and with Lola too who was at the time in Kent.

The four girls on the screen together. Different places, same love. Watching them smile, wave, and laugh through the screen felt precious. One of those moments you want to hold still for a bit longer.

Terry even braved feeding Maya a couple of teaspoonfuls of custard. Such a small thing, but it meant so much. It showed she’s slowly getting her swallowing reflex back. Still, we were both nervous the whole time, watching her closely, worried about choking or causing her any distress. Relief and fear sat side by side, as they often do lately.

All I ever seem to do all day is pamper Maya. Wash her hands, feet, hair. Brush her teeth. Moisturise her skin, stretch and bend her arms and legs, and run through her range-of-movement exercises on repeat. If there were medals for moisturising and gentle stretching, I’d be on the podium by now. It’s tiring, yes, but it’s also strangely lovely. My days are full of care, touch, and small routines that quietly say, “you’re safe, and I’ve got you”.

By early evening, Maya was settled in front of her white telly, the one hanging on the wall, watching YouTube. I asked her, half chatting, half teasing,

“Maya, please remind me, what sort of videos do you watch apart from Peppa Pig and Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom? Oh, I know. You like pranking videos.”

I typed it in, and six videos popped up on the screen.

She looked at each one carefully, staring, then sliding to the next. Left to right. Calm and focused. Then she reached the very last video on the right. She paused. Really looked at it. Read the words.

And then she burst out laughing. Proper, head-thrown-back laughter.

The title had one word that did it.

FART.

That was it. Maya, losing it with laughter.

https://share.icloud.com/photos/0e6ThorfA3SgoQ3oGOLJdZ7Kw

Maya is laughing, even though her face doesn’t show it yet. You can see it in her body instead. Her head moves, her shoulders bounce, and that soft, familiar laugh comes out. It’s a different kind of laughter, but it’s still hers. And somehow, that makes it just as beautiful.

But what thing that stood out today: Maya can still read! Despite the brain inflammation, Maya hasn’t lost the ability to read!

As if that wasn’t enough, Terry stood up from his chair and accidentally hit his head on the Christmas cards hanging from the ceiling. Terry rubbed his head and pretended it really hurt. Maya saw the whole thing and burst out laughing again. She loves slapstick. Always has.

In that moment, it felt like a gift. Her humour. Her mischief. Her spark. Our prankster queen making her way back to us, one silly video at a time.