Ireland AM chef Joe Shannon has revealed he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer but insists he "isn't scared of death."
Joe's hearty chuckle and bubbly personality has won him many fans on the Virgin Media morning show where he regularly appears alongside hosts Alan Hughes, Muireann O'Connell and Tommy Bowe on the cooking segment.
The Sligo native was initially diagnosed with bowel cancer in March 2021 but has since learned that his cancer is terminal, RSVP Live reports.
Read More: Met Eireann forecast BBQ weather with sunshine and highs of 20C
"I had stage three cancer at that stage, it wasn't scary. A lot of people with bowel cancer have survived it," Joe explained.
Joe moved to Dublin for treatment with oncologist Professor John McCaffrey for twelve sessions of chemotherapy.
Joe thought he would be able to "get on" with his life after this but ran into a number of complications.
"Unfortunately they found a second tumour on my liver," he explained to Muireann O'Connell and Alan Hughes on Ireland AM.
"I ended up with a second bout of surgery and unfortunately I had a lot of complications after that; an infection had taken over.
"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."
Miraculously, the following morning Joe was well enough to leave ICU. He went on to finish his chemotherapy and got the all-clear and doctors told him he could go back to work in six months.
But a few months after, Joe unfortunately fell ill again.
"That summer, I wasn't feeling well. They did more tests and found out that the cancer had come back to the exact same spot in the bowel," he explained.
"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."
Unfortunately for Joe, doctors told him and his family that his cancer was terminal and could not be cured.
They explained that he could have "a lifetime of chemotherapy" in six weeks sessions, but if he didn't receive treatment he would have about six months to live.
Joe's wife and daughter were understandably devastated by the news but the chef felt he already knew the news before doctors told him.
He explained: "I think it was sort of reiterating what I was feeling.
"I knew myself I wasn't well and I sort of knew, to be honest.
"I've been very lucky in life, I'm 58 years of age and have had a fantastic life. Life owes me nothing."
Joe is receiving chemotherapy and doesn't know how long he will live for, bravely admitting that he doesn't fear death.
"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."
Speaking to viewers at home, Joe urged them to 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.
Joe and his good friend Georgie Gorman, who battled throat cancer, share their journey and experiences in a video series called The Recovery Tour. Follow them online here.
READ NEXT:
Annie McCarrick murder probe twist as two brothers emerge as suspects
'Painfully shy' Irish dad transforms into evil drug dealer with massive Irish empire
McGregor Forever: Director says Conor McGregor is 'an entirely unreasonable man'
'Doctors told me I needed to lose weight, but I actually had a six stone cyst'
Fear strikes Irish town after venomous spider spotted in local home
Get news updates direct to your inbox by signing up to our daily newsletter here
