Irish Cancer Society site crashes after surge of donations

The website of the Irish Cancer Society crashed last night following an appearance on the Late Late Show by cancer sufferer Majella O'Donnell – wife of the singer Daniel. During the appearance, she shaved head to raise funds to combat the disease.

Viewers of the show were invited to make donations through the website – but an apparent surge of traffic on the site caused it to go crash.

Presenter Ryan Tubridy appealed to people wishing to donate to remain patient.

Speaking on the show, Ms O’Donnell talked about finding a lump on her breast and the process of having it checked by her GP before ultimately being told of “some cancerous cells” in the lump.

“The doctor said it was great we had got it early,” she said. “That was the most important thing because your chances of survival are so much higher. I straight away said I wanted a mastectomy. The doctor said we should discuss it and go away and think about it,” she said.

She also stressed she was there exclusively to raise funds to combat the disease rather than out of any wish to draw attention.

She added that she had started chemotherapy yesterday and was feeling good at this point.