'My heart is filled with gratitude'... Bohermeen mum set to undergo major surgery in New York on Monday

Bohermeen native and mother of three, Sharon Ball, has said her heart is "filled with gratitude" ahead of major surgery in the US to tackle a rare and aggressive cancer.

The surgery, for a stage four skull-based osteosarcoma which is an extremely rare form of cancer that was diagnosed in October 2025 is booked for this Monday (6th April), just one week after she arrived in New York with husband Dermot.

Sharon, who teaches at St Mary’s National School in Trim saw chemotherapy treatment here prove unsuccessful, and she has now been given an opportunity to undergo surgery in the specialist Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, NY.

With the procedure and associated treatment and recovery expected to run to hundreds of thousands of euro, a fundraiser set up by her family and only opened last Thursday week has seen donations exceed a staggering €800,000.

Sharon (38), loving mother to three young children — Jack (6), Louis (4) and baby Sophie, travelled to New York last Monday with devoted husband Dermot for the initial consultation.

In an update posted on Friday to the gofundme page, Sharon said:

"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”

Before her arrival in New York a family spokesperson told the Meath Chronicle:

"It's hard to get your head around. It's good for you to see that there's that kind of level of support and humanity out there. It's brilliant. Just seeing all the local businesses and people being so generous is just amazing."

"This is the little light at the end of the tunnel now for her, and hopefully things go well. As I said, like, Sharon's not looking to climb Mount Everest. She's not looking to swim the Atlantic or anything.

"She wants to see Sophie take her first steps. She wants to see Louis start school in September, the things that we all take for granted that she's working incredibly hard and fighting for."

Sharon’s family have said that every donation, no matter how small, will make a difference, and are encouraging people to support or share the campaign where possible.

Chair of the fundraising committee and Sharon’s sister in-law, Aoife Ball, said:

“Sharon is at the centre of her young family and her community, and this surgery offers real hope at a time when options are extremely limited.

"We are asking people, if they can, to support this campaign — every contribution, no matter how small, brings Sharon one step closer to getting the treatment she urgently needs.”

Further details of the fundraiser can be found here