“It was the joy of living personified”: outpouring of solidarity after the death of Shannen, 14, struck down by meningitis

A tragedy for an entire city. Shannen Cabos, a 14-year-old girl, died on October 31. This young Carmausine died of bacterial meningitis, an illness which causes inflammation of the meninges and can be devastating. “In the morning, she had a fever of 39.6°C, the doctor said it was the flu, but she died in the night,” says her mother, Lolita. Helicoptered in the evening to Toulouse, the emergency services were unable to do anything, Shannen breathed her last at the Purpan hospital.

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A tragedy for those close to him and his mother, Lolita, who raises her three children alone. Shannen, who was the eldest, leaves a brother and a sister, aged 8 and 12: “They are going through hell, they have lost a part of them,” says the mother, upset. Described by those close to her as a “very well-mannered, very polite and very well-liked” young girl, Shannen had just celebrated her first year of relationship with her boyfriend. “It was the joy of living personified,” describes Lolita. While training in Gaillac, the teenager did an internship in a nursery, because she wanted to work with children later.

A committed and supportive young woman

Her death shakes up the entire town and its associative fabric in which she loved to take part. “With her mother and grandmother, they had started a majorette club,” explains a close family member. Shannen was a member of the Bénédictine Girls in Saint-Benoît-de-Carmaux. The teenager was also a volunteer at the FabLab association in Carmaux: “A member of our association, she touched our hearts with her joie de vivre and her commitment. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during this very painful time” , indicates the association in a Facebook post.

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A prize pool put online to support the family

Following this tragic event, a surge of solidarity quickly emerged to help the mother of the 14-year-old girl, with the opening of an online fundraiser: “I went to her house the day after the death to find out how to help her, the funeral represented a certain cost for her. A pot to pay for the costs was welcome,” explains a relative.

Since its opening in early November, more than 140 people have made a donation. Many messages from anonymous people or loved ones are also shared on the prize pool link and on social networks to support the family and pay tribute to Shannen: “We offer you all our condolences, there is no of words that can heal a grieving mother”, “Rest in peace little angel, courage to you in this difficult ordeal”.

To date, the prize pool has well exceeded €3,200: “It touched a lot of people in Carmaux. We didn't think it would go up so quickly,” confides a close friend of the family.

The funeral takes place this Thursday, November 7, at the Saint-Privat church in Carmaux.