By Layla Nicholson
A woman who has narrowly escaped death a whopping seven times revealed what it’s really like – and why she no longer fears the end. Shona Hirons’ medical history is a catalogue of near-misses and health scares . Over time, she has endured a mini-stroke, a hole in her heart, a life-threatening bike accident, cancer, Covid, pneumonia and bacterial meningitis. At one stage, the mother-of-one was in a coma due to brain swelling. However, these harrowing experiences have led Shona – a behaviour, fitness and nutrition coach from Portishead – to lose her fear of death . In fact, she claims that the “lessons” learned from her brushes with mortality have made her happier than ever before. “I’m no longer fearful of death,” she confided to NeedToKnow. “Two years after my bike accident, I was diagnosed with cancer and just knew somehow that it wasn’t going to kill me. I haven’t had any out of body experiences [during any of my near-misses]. “I guess I realised I was in a dark place at the time, so that didn’t help. I don’t have any recollection of me being in the coma and after, I didn’t even feel scared of the surgery. “I think these events have been the best things that have ever happened to me. It’s completely changed my mindset.” Despite her multiple close run-ins with death, Shona has largely remained resilient and positive. She even owes her newfound confidence to the traumatic incidents. Many people, and rightly so, could ‘break’ under the relentless battles Shona’s had to face. However, her extreme life experiences have instead ‘shaped’ her as a person and gave a well-needed career nudge. Shona has also learned self-love and acceptance, something she would struggle with prior. Now in her early 50s, had a rough go of it when she was younger, dealing with severe stress and burnout that led to a mini-stroke at the tender age of 22. A decade later, doctors discovered a hole in her heart, leading to open-heart surgery to correct it. In an effort to stave off further health complications, Shona took up cycling. But in a cruel twist of fate, this nearly ended her life in a horrific accident in early 2017. She recalled: “My front wheel suddenly hit a puddle on the road. I went flying over the handle bars and my face landed on a broken piece of kerb. “I fell unconscious and at hospital, I was placed into an induced coma due to swelling on my brain. When I woke up two weeks later, I thought I had just broken my finger, so I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about.” The aftermath was brutal – Shona had to undergo major facial reconstructive surgery after breaking all the bones in her left orbital area and shattering her cheekbone. She was given a mere 20% chance of survival through what she describes as “utter hell”. Then, two years on, she was dealt another blow: uterine cancer. Reflecting on her journey, she said: “I had a big wake up call [after the accident]. “It was caused by me burning out. I was working 80-hour weeks and felt like it was my job to do everything, both at work and at home. “It made me reflect and I realised I had been given another chance at life. [So] my mindset was in a good place [when I was told I had cancer]. “I remember my consultant telling me that it may have been caused by the amount of stress and trauma I’d been through. I guess we’ll never know for sure. I took one day at a time, underwent treatment and surgery and was lucky I got the all-clear eight months later.” Fast forward to July 2024, the mum-of-one found herself fighting for her life once again, this time battling Covid, pneumonia, and bacterial meningitis. Despite her numerous close calls, Shona has come to accept that this is just the natural progression of life. Instead of feeling like she was being ‘punished’ in life, she decided to see the ‘funny’ side of it. Shona didn’t see herself as a ‘victim’, she just realised that she was on – a rather bump – course of life. She concluded: “I’m not fearful of anything anymore. “My family joke about wrapping me in bubble wrap but I’m determined to keep living my best life and make the most of it, as none of us know when our time is up. “I prioritise my health, because if you don’t make time for your health, sooner or later, you’ll most likely have to make time for illness.”