The family of a West Belfast woman say they are devastated to learn of the return of her cancer, vowing not to give up the fight.
Sharon Rooney was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2020, which she was told was 'triple negative breast cancer', an aggressive form of the disease. She went through gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy to be told she was in the clear.
That joy was short lived and the Falls Road woman was dealt another heart wrenching hand - her cancer has returned in her liver, lymph nodes and stomach area. But Sharon and her family are now campaigning to get the mum-of-two back to Mexico for specialist treatment which has worked for her in the past.
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Through a Go Fund Me page, family, friends and strangers have been donating towards the costs of the treatment at Hope4Cancer in Mexico. Almost £56,000 of their £80,000 target has been reached to date.
Sharon's sister Lisa said: "As a family we are not prepared to give up the fight and once more we are reaching out for [the public's] support. Sharon has been through so much in these last two and a half years but has never given up hope.
"Life was starting to look up and she has just married her partner Stephen. They should be starting married life off with happiness and so much to look forward to with their two young children, not facing this fight for life yet again.
"We really want to get Sharon back to Mexico. Her last visit to the Hope4Cancer treatment centre really helped Sharon tremendously and allowed her to have a strong body for her fight against cancer.
"Her tumours had shrunk to the point where her doctors were unsure if there were any remaining or if it was scar tissue. Sharon came back from Mexico a stronger and healthier person, she had around seven months where she did not need any chemotherapy treatment and this is why we need to get Sharon back there.
"We strongly believe that they can help to get her body strong enough to fight this horrible disease once again. Sharon is such an inspiration to her family and friends and we admire her strength and determination in the fight against this awful illness so please support us to keep her with us.
"Our local community, as well as strangers from far and wide have been absolutely amazing in getting behind Sharon and we are hoping that you will do this once more. Any donation would be greatly appreciated, no matter how big or small.
"We will be organising some fundraisers for Sharon in the next few months starting with a Bingo Night on Saturday July 9. If you are interested in taking part please visit the page on Facebook. There will be lots of prizes and plenty of craic on the night so please join in if you can.
"If you can’t donate it would be really helpful if you could even share the details of the Bingo Night."
Please follow this link to donate to the fundraiser for Sharon.
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