An online appeal has been launched to help give hope to a young Donegal mother-of-five who is battling cancer.

Sonya Hamilton Mc Closkey, who is originally from St Johnston and lives in Ballybofey, was recently diagnosed with cancer of the breast, lymph nodes, pancreas, liver and lungs.

The 35-year-old had been struggling with pain and illness for the past two years. But it was only in April 2019 that she received the crushing diagnosis.

Sonya is married to Ballybofey man Michael McCloskey and together they have five young children.

Sonya Hamilton McCloskey

She has spent the past few weeks in an oncology ward, separated from her family as her four youngest children are too young to visit the ward. She was taken to Galway University Hospital on Tuesday in the hope of having a procedure on her liver.

While she is unable to undergo chemotherapy, Sonya has discovered one option which could give her the fighting chance she needs.

The strong young mum has been in contact with Oncologica, a UK company which carries out specialised tests to determine the most successful treatment options for cancer patients.

“At the moment this is Sonya’s only choice to give her a fighting chance,” Sonya’s sister Lorraine wrote in the GoFundMe appeal, which was launched today.

Sonya’s family are fundraising to cover the €2,000 cost of having a sample of her biopsies sent to Oncologica.

The online campaign has raised an amazing €3,000 in just four hours, as almost a hundred people offer their support to the Hamilton-Mc Closkey family.

Sonya, Michael and their children are well-known in the Twin Towns area. Sonya once ran her own mobile phone shop in Ballybofey.

“Everyone who has ever met Sonya knows she is a giver. She gives her everything to her family and everyone she knows. Her life is completely selfless. Her children are her priority. Trying to fight this is all Sonya can do,” Lorraine said.

If you would like to donate to the GoFundMe page, please click here: https://www.gofundme.com/qap9y-sonyas-battle