WATCH 'We're out to find an angel' :Belfast woman makes desperate plea for life-saving cell stem donor
Lagmore mum launches emotional appeal for urgent help
Last updated 11th Jul 2019
A west Belfast woman desperate to find a donor for a vital operation says her family are 'out to find an angel.'
Sharon McCloskey was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in February.
Clinicians told her she needs a stem cell transplant but that her chances of finding a match are very slim due to her rare tissue type.
Sharon told us about the day she got the devastating news:
"I was heartbroken at the time...I just thought...can anything get any worse?
"I thought I was coming down here to get the stem cell donor, get the stem cells, come back and get back into my life again, back to being a mummy."
The 44-year-old was faced with the daunting task of telling her children their mother is seriously ill.
Sharon said she chose her words carefully:
"I found my own way how to explain to my children, what I thought was right.
"So I just said mummy has bad blood and it's a choice we have to make.
"Do you want mummy to stay in bed and be sick or do you want mummy to get better and be able to go on holidays, be able to go to the park, just the things that every family does?
"So the boys decided mummy definitely go to the doctor get fixed, get the hospital to fix your bad blood."
Sharon's family and friends have launched a campaign to urge people to check if they are a candidate.
Named Save Our Sunflower after Sharon's favourite flower and her bubbly personality, they are appealing to the public to get a swab kit to check whether they are a match.
The former chef told Downtown Cool FM what it would mean to her and her loved ones to finally find a suitable candidate for a stem cell transplant:
"Basically we're out to find an angel or somebody that matches my tissue type because I just want to be here for a lot longer."
"I'm really hopeful with the kind of family that I have behind me, they're not giving up until they get me somebody and fingers crossed I come out the other end with a big smile on my face.
16 to 30-year-olds can apply to be a donor with Anthony Nolan here
17 to 55-year-olds can apply to register with DKMS as a donor here