‘I don’t want to die’ Irish teen makes plea for funds to fight cancer

If you watch any video on the internet today, it should be this one.

18-year-old Shauntelle Tynan from Carlow has made a heart-wrenching plea via viral video for funding for her rare form of cancer.

Shan was diagnosed with multi-system Langheran’s cell histiocytosis in May 2015, and since then, her community has been funding her specialist treatment at theTexas Children’s Hospital. 

The teen does not qualify for the HSE’s Treatment Abroad Scheme as her treatment was sought outside of Europe, so it is not supported by the Irish government.

In a powerful and emotional video posted to YouTube, the teen explains that doctors in the EU do not know enough her particular type of cancer to treat it, so she has to be treated in the US.

The teen has been documenting her treatment and lifestyle on YouTube for the past year, and her latest video is incredibly poignant.

"Travelling to Texas comes with a price, but we always seem to get there thanks to the amazing support in our community, but recently we have learned that we're going to have to move to Texas for at least a year, and that's me on my own, not my family, just me, and that's because the cancer has gotten so out of control," she said. 

"The doctors in Texas have told me if I don’t come for at least 12 months then they don’t have a great chance of helping me survive."

"We’ve been emailing my government to get them to help us with costs but if you fly outside of Europe, they don’t help with medical costs," said the teen, becoming visibly upset. 

"It’s ridiculous, €350k doesn’t mean anything to our government and this is my life. I’m an Irish citizen and I just wish they’d help. It’s so sad that my life is being put on a number and how much money we need to make.” 

Shan's family have started a Go Fund Me page to raise the vital funds for her Texas treatment.

The page has already raised  €465,259 of it's €500,000 goal, but donations are still urgently needed to complete the funding. 

You can donate to help Shan here, as the page says, even a donation of €1.00 brings her closer to her goal.