{"id":439972,"date":"2026-04-17T13:25:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/439972\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T13:25:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T13:25:16","slug":"i-owe-this-second-chance-at-life-to-you-all-meath-mum-gives-update-as-she-prepares-to-fly-home-after-new-york-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/439972\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I owe this second chance at life to you all’- Meath mum gives update as she prepares to fly home after New York surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sharon Ball, a 38-year-old primary school teacher, originally from Bohermeen near Kells, previously underwent chemotherapy, which, unfortunately, was not successful.\"Sharon<\/p>\n

Sharon Ball<\/p>\n

A brave Meath mum-of-three battling a rare and aggressive cancer has shared an emotional update after undergoing life-saving surgery in New York, revealing she has now been given permission to fly home later this week as she awaits the next stage of her treatment.<\/p>\n

Sharon Ball, a 38-year-old primary school teacher, originally from Bohermeen near Kells, previously underwent chemotherapy, which, unfortunately, was not successful.<\/p>\n

Now, in an update on social media, Sharon describes herself as \u201clost for words\u201d as she reflects on the overwhelming support she has received from family, friends and the wider community throughout her journey.<\/p>\n

\"Sharon<\/p>\n

(Image: GoFundMe)<\/p>\n

Following the successful operation in New York last week, which saw 97% of her tumour removed, Sharon said the outpouring of prayers, fundraising efforts and messages of encouragement have played a vital role in her recovery.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can feel the prayers every day helping me to recover and heal,\u201d she said on social media.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter a successful surgery, I have been given permission to fly home later this week while I await confirmation of the next stage of treatment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am just lost for words with the continuous support at home. I have been watching and hearing all about the fundraisers,\u201d Sharon continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cI owe this second chance at life to you all. I get to come home to hug and kiss my beautiful resilient children again. You have given me hope, always remember nothing is impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sharon Ball with her family <\/p>\n

Sharon, who was diagnosed in October 2025 with stage 4 skull-based osteosarcoma, travelled to New York earlier this month with her husband Dermot to undergo the complex procedure after chemotherapy in Ireland proved unsuccessful.<\/p>\n

The surgery marked a critical first step in her treatment, with further care including proton radiation and chemotherapy still to come.<\/p>\n

Paying tribute to the medical team who cared for her, Sharon said New York \u201copened its arms\u201d to her during her time there. She praised her surgeons as heroes who \u201cshowed me the light,\u201d adding that the experience has been surreal.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am so lucky and grateful to be in this situation, going home. It is truly a miracle,\u201d she said. \u201cWe know we\u2019re not at the end of the line yet, but we will take all the positives.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Sharon Ball, 38 <\/p>\n

The \u2018Help Sharon Get Urgent Life Saving Brain Surgery\u2019 Go Fund Me, which has raised more than \u20ac849,000, continues to receive widespread support as Sharon prepares for the next phase of her treatment.<\/p>\n

To donate to the Go Fund Me: https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/help-sharon-get-urgent-life-saving-brain-surgery<\/a><\/p>\n

Sign up to the <\/strong>Irish Mirror’s Courts and Crime newsletter here<\/a><\/strong> and get breaking crime updates and news from the courts direct to your inbox.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sharon Ball, a 38-year-old primary school teacher, originally from Bohermeen near Kells, previously underwent chemotherapy, which, unfortunately, was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":439973,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[79,110,18,19,17,1873,968],"class_list":{"0":"post-439972","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-cancer","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-ie","12":"tag-ireland","13":"tag-meath","14":"tag-new-york"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116420275692717432","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/439973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}