Niamh Shackleton
A young woman who went viral for sharing the early signs of colorectal cancer has given a devastating update on her health.
In the run up to her 21st birthday, Dominique McShain was diagnosed with incurable colorectal cancer.
Dominique was a third-year psychology student when she received the gut-wrenching news and ultimately decided to leave university to fulfil her dreams of traveling around the world.
She also made it her mission to raise awareness about her cancer and has been using her social media platforms to keep people updated on her journey.
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One of her first videos shared to TikTok last year has been viewed 5.5 million times.
In one clip in particular, Dominique detailed some of the early symptoms she experienced but initially dismissed including dizzy spells and blood in her stool.
After receiving her diagnosis, Dominique was given one to five years to live and she's now told her many followers that she's receiving end-of-life care.
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Taking to Instagram yesterday (April 6), Dominique gave what she said will be her final update on her cancer journey.
"I've recently been given a prognosis about 5 days ago of only a few days to a few weeks to live," she wrote.
"My liver is failing rapidly to the point of jaundice and the cancer is progressing quickly. Because of this, I'm no longer able to receive any treatments, including the chemo I've been on for 7 months over last year.
"At this point, I've transitioned into end-of-life care, focusing on pain relief and managing side effects, with so much time spent both in the hospital and hospice facilities."
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Dominique's heartbreaking post continued: "My life may be short, but I genuinely think I've squeezed every bit of out it. I won the lottery with a family that loves me unconditionally, friends who would 10000% donate a liver to me or do anything they could (and probably argue over who gets to do it), and the sweetest husband, Sean, who's been my rock through everything - before and after my diagnosis."
She proceeded to brand their wedding day as 'the most special day ever'.
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"Please never forget I will always love you all so much and I will be forever grateful for the role each of you have played in my life," Dominique concluded her final post.
Dominique has a fundraising page, which you can donate to here.
The funds that have so far been raised have helped pay for the 21-year-old's treatment, her travels, and will now go towards her hospice care.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.