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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
Sandra Mallon

Paul Mescal's mother Dearbhla admits she can't sleep amid Oscars excitement

Paul Mescal’s mother Dearbhla says she can’t sleep amid Oscar excitement as she admits her bags are almost packed.

Dearbhla – who is currently undergoing treatment for a type of bone marrow cancer – will travel to LA this week with her husband Paul Snr for the awards ceremony, which takes place this Sunday.

The couple will meet their Oscar-nominated son Paul in LA – who is up for Best Actor - , while her other son Donncha, who is living in New York, will also fly to LA.

Dearbhla shared with her followers on Instagram: “I just had a call from Donnacha who is packing or getting help packing and I’m not even sure how much luggage I can take.

READ MORE: Banshees of Inisherin and Bad Sisters bag most nominations at this year's Irish Film and TV Awards

“It’s all getting very, very exciting. I’m awake. I don’t sleep… but I let my worries go..

“I’m tired but I am resting but I’m not sleeping but the packing is nearly done,” she added.

Paul Mescal pictured on the red carpet for the screening of the film God's Creatures at the Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin. (Brian McEvoy)

Dearbhla and Paul have been their son’s number one supporter since his rise to fame after Normal People. The trio walked the red carpet together at the BAFTAS as well as also attending Paul’s Dublin premiere for his new movie, God’s Creatures.

Last week, Dearbhla opened up about receiving her cancer diagnosis in the midst of navigating her son Donncha moving to New York, daughter Nell's budding music career and Paul's multiple acting nominations.

The former garda said she first found out she had cancer after attending Wimbledon with Paul last July.

“I came home from Wimbledon with Paul and I had a scan after work on the Tuesday. On the Thursday, they found tumours. The pain had been in my right shoulder.

“Nell had just released her song and Donncha had just moved to New York, I didn’t want to overshadow any of that.”

“I was talking into my phone saying to the kids ‘it’s good cancer’, of course they’re saying, ‘what’s good cancer?’”

“At that point we didn’t know what cancer it was, but we had believed we caught it early. I had a wonderful team and did 17 weeks of chemo.”

“I will be super-duper, hopefully. It’s not a curable cancer, it’s more like a disease but I can live with it and I will take any medicines and do my holistic life.

"The last few years have just happened to us, and it’s how you react. Do you dance in the rain or sit in the corner?

"This is cancer month, all of us know somebody with cancer. Suddenly I’m the person with cancer.

"I do see my glass as half full. I think there are very tough days, I'm not used to not having energy and taking as many tablets but I trust that where I'm supposed to be is where I'm supposed to be. I'm very lucky that my three children are healthy. It's the now.

Dearbhla says she that although she kept a positive outlook on her diagnosis, treatment was tough.

“I was staying positive but getting the port in to have dialysis was a real moment. I had shaved my head the day the Oscars nominations came out.”

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