'I've had a fantastic life': Ireland AM chef Joe Shannon on his terminal cancer diagnosis
Ireland AM chef Joe Shannon has received a terminal cancer diagnosis. Picture: Chef Joe Shannon
Ireland AM chef Joe Shannon has revealed he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
The Sligo-born chef shared the news with his colleagues Muireann O'Connell and Alan Hughes on Ireland AM on Thursday.
The chef was initially diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer in March 2021 and began a course of chemotherapy, before they found a further tumour on his liver.
"I ended up with a second bout of surgery and unfortunately I had a lot of complications after that," he said.
"I spent a month in hospital, I was in ICU, I had been given the last rites.
"My mother appeared to me that night, I think she was there to tell me my time wasn't yet."
The chef ultimately went on to recover and get the all-clear, but unfortunately just a few months later the cancer in his bowel returned.
"They ideally would've liked to do surgery and chemotherapy to take the tumour out, but because of all the complications I had previously, surgery was ruled out.
"I did six very heavy sessions of chemotherapy in the hopes it would kill the cancer that was there and that finished last February."
The chef said he has now been told the chemotherapy did not kill the cancer cells, and his medical team have informed him they can not cure his cancer.
"The options for [me] were to continue with a lifetime of chemotherapy," he explained, or if he didn't do that, he would have "about six months" to live.
The 58-year-old said he feels he has been "very lucky" in life saying; "I have had a fantastic life. Life owes me nothing."
The chef said he will continue on the chemotherapy route, but doesn't know how long he will live for.
"It could be one year, it could be seven years," he said.
"It all depends how my body takes to the chemotherapy, because it's a big ask of my body to continue with that.
"But that said, there are lots of people who have had chemo for 15 years or more.
"And who's to say that in that time some new piece of research may come along?
"But if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I'm not scared of death."
The chef then urged viewers at home to go get themselves checked if they feel something is wrong with their body.
"Go to your GP, get an appointment and get checked. Early prevention in any illness is key," he said.
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