A teenager born with a birthmark on her brain has had a surprise phone call from Westlife singer Shane Filan hours before undergoing surgery.
Sarah Mole, 19, from Abercwmboi in the Cynon Valley, was waiting for the operation to remove the birthmark when the Irish star called.
The birthmark causes Sarah to suffer from epilepsy and she has had several operations to try to remove it.
Her mother, Karen, said Sarah was "over the moon" after speaking to him.
"It gave her such a boost and the look on her face was amazing," she explained.
Sarah, who was being treated at King's College Hospital, London, had the call the night before having to go through major surgery.
"At first Sarah didn't want to speak to the person who was on the phone because her condition means that her speech has been affected," said Mrs Mole.
"But her dad said to her 'I think you'll really want to talk to this person'.
"So she took the call and as soon as she heard the Irish accent she knew who it was.
"You should have seen her face - she was over the moon. They spoke on the phone for a good ten minutes and it gave her such a boost."
The singer told Sarah that the band were all wishing her well and that they were following her progress.
"He phoned her from Germany where the band were recording and he told her that if they had been in London they would have come to see her," said Mrs Mole.
"I spoke to him too - I couldn't believe I was speaking to someone so famous.
"The band have promised Sarah some tickets when they come to Cardiff and she and her sister are really looking forward to it."
Sarah, who has two A levels and seven GCSEs and wants to become an accountant when she has recovered, has had a number of operations to remove the birthmark.
She started suffering from epileptic attacks at the age of 13. After the first operation in 2001, she spent five weeks in intensive care and was in complete paralysis for five days.
She underwent further surgery earlier this month and returned home on Monday, where she will spend Christmas with her family.
"She is such a fighter and I know this is not going to beat her," said her mother.
"She has been through so much and we have to take it day to day.
"But getting that phone call from Westlife was such a wonderful thing for her - she is such a big fan of the band and it made her day," she added.
Source: BBC