Friends of a mum warned the cancer she has fought could return, have started a funding page to help her family as she waits for a stem cell transplant.
This year Sharon McCloskey from Lagmore, West Belfast , has had numerous chemotherapy treatments to keep blood cancer at bay.
And in June although cancer free, she was told she would need a stem cell transplant to keep her well but because of a rare tissue type, search for a life saving donor would be global.
However after weeks of local campaigning by friends and family to encourage people to register to become stem cell donors, Sharon got a 90% match last week.
The celebrations were loud but brief because Sharon must stay cancer-free, infection-free until and make a good enough recovery from chemo to undergo a stem cell transplant in Dublin - and then there will be a nerve-wracking 100-day wait to assess the results.
In the meantime Sharon remains unfit for work and her husband Alan, is looking after her and their three children until their cancer roller coaster comes to a stop.
So their friends have set up a gofundme page in a bid to ease their financial pressures as the fight back to health picks up pace.
Lorretta Cassidy said: “In February this year our beautiful friend Sharon was given the most devastating news that she had leukaemia and urgently needed a stem cell donor to save her life.
“Now Sharon has been given wonderful news that she has found that match she so desperately needed.
“She will be going to Dublin in a couple of weeks where she will be receiving more chemotherapy and her life saving transplant.
“She will be in isolation and she still has a long journey ahead.
“So Sharon’s family and friends are organising fund-raising and events for her over the coming weeks which we hope will help address the growing financial worries.
“And any extra money raised from fund-raising events will be donated to Anthony Nolan and the DKMS register that work so hard to match donors and recipients of life saving stem cells.”
Anyone wishing to donate can visit here .
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