Family of Bohermeen mum and teacher in need of life-saving surgery 'blown away' as fundraiser hits €650k target

A fundraiser aimed at supporting a much-loved Meath primary school teacher who urgently needs life-saving surgery in New York to tackle a rare and aggressive cancer has surpassed its €650k target within 48 hours of its launch.

Bohermeen native and mother of three, Sharon Ball (38), who teaches at St Mary’s National School in Trim, is battling a stage four skull-based osteosarcoma an extremely rare form of cancer after being diagnosed in October 2025

Following months of treatment, chemotherapy has proven unsuccessful, and she has now been given an opportunity to undergo specialist surgery in the United States.

However, the procedure and associated treatment and recovery could run to hundreds of thousands of euro and time is critical.

A fundraiser set up by her family and only opened on Thursday afternoon have seen donations flood in with the initial €650,000 target reached by Saturday morning.

Sharon, loving mother to three young children — Jack (6), Louis (4) and baby Sophie, who is just nine months old will now travel to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, NY on Monday with devoted husband Dermot for a consultation and to assess what lies ahead.

A family spokesperson told the Meath Chronicle this morning (Saturday), the outpouring of support her Sharon, Dermot and the family was 'mindblowing".

"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."

Comedians Rory Stories and Justine Stafford have also gotten behind Sharon's cause as has broadcaster and influencer Una Healy.

"It really is a county-wide thing. I don't think anyone we've spoken to in the county has not gotten right behind us, it just shows Meath is fantastic for supporting their own."

Her family say she is determined to do everything possible to be there for her children as they grow up.

"Sharon and Dermot are very much focused on the medical side of things, they're flying out Monday now, first consultation is Wednesday, and that's their main focus.

"The whole reason for the fundraiser was that, it's one less thing to be thinking about, that the money's taken care of. The bigger picture is when you see what's ahead of Sharon."

"It's the recovery and making sure everyone's well and the operation and all that stuff is really crucial now for them. That's what they need to focus on. So it was about just taking that pressure off them."

A spokesperson for the Ball family who described Sharon as a much-loved teacher, colleague and friend, and say they have been "blown away" by the response of the people of Meath in their swift response and willingness to help.

"We don't know ultimately what the costs of this operation. They'll find that out on Wednesday and they'll get a better sense of the figures involved. So we're very much telling people to still row in behind this [fundraiser] because with the costs involved and recovery, we don't know how long Sharon's going to be in New York."

"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