'So brave': Former Miss Limerick suffers a stroke after ‘everything comes to a head’

LIMERICK-BORN model and influencer Shauna Lindsay has revealed she suffered a stroke and discovered she has a hole in her heart after “a series of unfortunate events”.

Shauna, aged only 30, shared her shocking news with her over 76,000 followers on Instagram.

READ NEXT: Limerick actor in California to represent Ireland at top film festival

Shauna, in a video, said she needs to “talk about what the f**k is going on with me”.  

“I've actually filmed this at least three times already today and I don't even know where to begin because to be honest, so much s**t has been going on in my life and every time I film, I cry and I don't want to cry. A lot of s**t has been going on in my life and I obviously haven't been sharing that.

“I've just been trying to keep my head down and focus on work and myself but everything's obviously come to a head because what happened was I had a stroke. I do want to say what's been going on because it's literally a series of unfortunate events.”

Shauna said she went through “probably the most traumatic break-up I've ever went through” just before the summer. 

“I've had bad break-ups with good people and like that's hard enough, but like this was different - bad news. It's just been so much and that's an ongoing thing, so that's still, like, happening - so super f*****g stressful. I'm trying not to give it airtime.” 

The former Miss Limerick said this was her biggest problem and trauma but it very quickly became the least of her worries.

“I booked a trip with a friend and it was on this holiday that I found out my mom has cancer. So much for not crying,” said Shauna, as she tried to hold back tears.

“If you know me, you know that my mom is my everything, my best friend - we call each other a million times a day. Finding that out has obviously been so f*****g tough, but she's f*****g hard as nails so I'm trying not to worry. She is actually just out of her surgery so please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.”

Shauna said she is definitely the healthiest and fittest she has ever been. She went to a boxing class last Monday as normal.

“I was doing combos with one of the coaches. I threw two punches and my whole arm went completely numb. My thought process at this time was, I am so strong that I've just managed to dislocate my own arm.

“It literally felt like my arm was hanging off my body. I literally, like, picked it up. I went to the bathroom. I'm on the floor in the bathroom and by this time the feeling's kind of coming back to my arm,” said Shauna, who thinks she had an out-of-body experience.

A friend in the class came to her aid and took her outside for some air.

“I just knew I wasn't OK. I couldn't verbally say anything. I had to text on my phone and show her I’m not OK and need an ambulance.”

Her friend immediately drove her to the hospital. 

“We were on the way to the hospital. I would try and say things and words were coming out instead of other words - it was just freaking the f**k out of me.”

Shauna said by the time she got to the hospital she had made a full recovery but was admitted to hospital for eight days for tests and observation.

“I was on a ward where a lot of people had had strokes and some of them are paralysed in wheelchairs and some of them can't speak properly. I genuinely feel so lucky that I'm OK. Obviously, you don't just have a stroke for no reason so they had to do loads of tests to figure out why this happened to me.”

Doctors discovered Shauna has a hole in her heart which requires an operation to close it up. She also revealed her mother also has a hole in her heart and her grandmother had a stroke.

Shauna ended the video by saying a massive thank you to everybody who messaged her during her hospital stay and complimented the staff and food.

Her post has gotten thousands and of likes and hundred of well wishes including from one friend who wrote: “I can’t believe how strong you’ve been. Love you so much. You’re both gonna get through this and appreciate every moment in life together.”

Another person replied: "Shauna you are so so brave for sharing this - sending all the love to you and your family, such a terrible thing to go through for you and your mam."