A mysterious bacterial strain, an induced coma... and an amazing recovery for a Cork mum

A fit and healthy mum of three was surprised when she started to feel unwell. She was diagnosed with aggressive pneumonia and placed in an induced coma. Her prospects looked bleak until infectious diseases specialist Dr Woo and his team at the Mater Hospital stepped in 

Celine O’Donovan with her family, husband Liam, and children Nicole, Seán, and Oran at Tragumna Beach, West Cork. Picture: Dan Linehan

With three children, an active job and a love of outdoor swimming and horse riding, Celine O’Donovan seemed to be the picture of good health. So it came as a surprise when she began feeling tired and nauseous last year for no apparent reason.

Initially putting up with the symptoms, the Cork woman went to see her doctor after a couple of days, who referred her to her local hospital. But it wasn’t long before she was transferred to CUH and then on to a specialist unit in Dublin, as she soon became critically ill.