{"id":422206,"date":"2026-04-06T02:46:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T02:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/422206\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T02:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T02:46:09","slug":"meath-mum-to-undergo-life-saving-brain-surgery-in-new-york-next-week-following-fundraiser","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/422206\/","title":{"rendered":"Meath mum to undergo life-saving brain surgery in New York next week following fundraiser"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">A young<a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dublinlive.ie\/all-about\/meath\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\"> Meath <\/a>mother is set to undergo life-saving brain surgery in New York next week, having successfully raised the funds needed for the specialist procedure.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sharon Ball, who is fighting <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dublinlive.ie\/news\/family-meath-mum-battling-rare-33680463\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">an exceptionally rare form of bone cancer known as stage 4 skull-based osteosarcoma<\/a>, recently travelled to America with her husband, Dermot. The 38-year-old primary school teacher and mother-of-three <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dublinlive.ie\/all-about\/cancer\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">received her diagnosis<\/a> in October and endured several rounds of chemotherapy, which sadly proved ineffective.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">However, in a recent update posted to her <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/help-sharon-get-urgent-life-saving-brain-surgery\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">GoFundMe page<\/a>, Sharon expressed that her heart is &#8216;filled with gratitude&#8217; as she prepares for the procedure. &#8220;Surgery is booked for Monday, 6th, and my heart is filled with gratitude. Thank you to everyone who has donated, encouraged and helped make this possible. Your generosity, kindness, prayers and love truly mean more than words can ever say,&#8221; she shared, reports <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rsvplive.ie\/life\/health\/meath-mum-three-extremely-rare-36969877\" rel=\"follow nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\">RSVP Live<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sharon also uploaded a photograph of herself outside the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, recognised as one of America&#8217;s leading hospitals for cancer treatment. The pair anticipate staying in the States for several months, as Sharon will need additional treatment after the initial surgery, plus recovery time near the medical facility.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sharon outside the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775443569_726_0_Screenshot-2026-04-04-180510.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Sharon outside the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Sharon outside the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York(Image: GoFundMe)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Sharon is a dedicated mother to her three young children, Jack (6), Louis (4) and Sophie (9 months), and maintains she is determined to do &#8216;everything she can&#8217; to be present to watch her children grow up. Sharon&#8217;s loved ones have been desperately working to secure the funds required for her life-saving surgery, and thanks to the extraordinary generosity of nearly 18,000 donors, they have smashed through their initial \u20ac650k target within days, with the total now standing at an remarkable \u20ac800,000.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Sharon Ball with her family\" loading=\"lazy\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775443569_966_0_Untitled-design.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p aria-label=\"Sharon Ball with her family\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Sharon Ball with her family<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Catriona O&#8217;Brien, Sharon&#8217;s sister-in-law, launched the fundraiser last week and has appealed to the public to keep the young woman in their thoughts and prayers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Donations to Sharon&#8217;s cause can be made via the <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/help-sharon-get-urgent-life-saving-brain-surgery\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_self\">GoFundMe page<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Want to see more of the stories you love from Dublin Live? <a aria-label=\"Making us your preferred source on GoogleLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=dublinlive.ie\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Making us your preferred source on Google<\/a><\/strong><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"> means you\u2019ll get more of our exclusives, top stories and must-read content straight away. 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