Aussie mum’s ‘rollercoaster’ fight for life after catching infection on cruise
Shelley Tinkler had just stepped off a cruise in Italy when illness struck her down.
Friends and family have rallied around an Australian woman who is fighting for her life after contracting viral pneumonia on a cruise in Italy.
Shelley Tinkler, 43, was short of breath after stepping off her “trip of a lifetime” cruise in the stunning European holiday hotspot. It was later found that she had fluid on her lungs and had contracted viral pneumonia. Her condition then quickly declined.
The mum was placed in a coma last week after she developed secondary infections. While her condition has now improved, she remains sedated and on a ventilator. Her loved ones say she is “by no means out of the woods”.
"She's basically battling fire from every front," close friend Rohan Williams, who jumped on a plane to be by her bedside, told the ABC. "It's like a rollercoaster. We take one step forward and two steps back."
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that causes the air sacs to become inflamed and fill up with fluid or pus and makes it difficult for oxygen to enter the bloodstream.
Shelley’s exciting future in jeopardy
The mum was on the cusp of an exciting new life having recently sold her hairdressing business of 20 years to follow her dream of working for an international airline. A move to the Gold Coast from her home on NSW's south coast was also on the cards.
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"Everything was just coming together for Shelley," he said. "This was the trip of a lifetime coming over to Italy, before she started the job of a lifetime."
He said there was a "huge battle ahead" for the woman described as the "life of the party".
Donations hit 35k
Loved ones have created a Go Fund Me, which has received over $35,000 in donations, which will be used to cover the costs of her family being by her bedside along with eventually returning her to Australia.
“You’re a tough cookie Shell. You’ve got this,” said one supporter.
“Get well and come home soon Shell,” said another.
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