21-year-old who battled rare cancer now recovering from Covid

Shauntelle Tynan.

A young Irish woman who captured the hearts of the nation by posting a video to social media pleading with the public to donate towards her medical treatment is recovering after contracting Covid-19.

Shauntelle Tynan, who is now 21 and from Tullow, Co Carlow, underwent life-saving treatment for the rare cancer hystiocytosis-x in Houston Texas three years ago.

More than €750,00 was donated by the public after she posted a heartbreaking video to YouTube where she appealed to people to help fund her treatment, saying that she “didn’t want to die."

Shauntelle was diagnosed with cancer in May 2015 with the disease spreading to her gastrointestinal system, colon, and skin before her successful outcome in Texas where she spent more than a year receiving treatment in 2017 and 2018.

She was under the care of one of the world's leading Histio specialists Dr Kenneth Mc Clain and his team at Texas Children’s Hospital. She continues to live with cancer but thankfully it is not active.

She was struck with Covid-19 in early January and spent more than a week in hospital. 

On the Team Shan Tynan fundraising page her friends said: “We are delighted to let you all know that Shauntelle has been released from hospital. 

"Her oxygen levels were maintained without help thanks to the nebuliser treatments, steroids and antibiotics. Her immune system is weak so we are hopeful as she gets stronger she will resume oral chemo but for the next few days it’s all about healing and getting comfortable in her own bed.” 

Shauntelle had to isolate for some time following her release from hospital. 

Her friends and family thanked, “all the frontline workers from paramedics, doctors to nurses who gave Shan exceptional care and to all who offered and dropped necessities to the hospital for her when we couldn’t".

"She has a long way to go in terms of recovery both physically and emotionally but this is the first step to full recovery and we are grabbing it with both hands."

Shauntelle also revealed, on her Facebook page, that she got engaged last July to Leigh O'Connell, while her Mum had a baby boy named Grayson with her partner Garth O’Malley last October.