The woman from Long Island had an aggressive cancerous tumor at only six months old. Surgeons removed the tumor and Rae received chemotherapy.
Thankfully, she was declared cancer free but the treatment had a lasting effect on her body, causing her small size.
Shauna’s life is very different to other women her age. In her TLC documentary, I Am Shauna Rae, she said:
“I didn’t have this realisation that I wasn’t going to be normal until I was 16. In that moment, the world shattered.
“I want to live my life like my friends and sisters do, but I need my mother, father and the rest of the world to realise that I’m an adult.”
She explains on the show that she has even started vaping to make her ‘look older’:
“I’ve always been attracted to that edgy lifestyle with the tattoos, the piercings, vaping or doing anything adult-esque.
“It wasn’t to show anyone else that I’m an adult, but to prove to myself that I’m an adult.”
Swygart recently started dating the reality star and shared some pics with the star on his Instagram.
Shauna has previously explained how complicated it is for her to date, given her size. The star told The Post that she often gets underestimated and excluded.
The 26-year-old explained on the reality show how he reached out to Shauna and the pair met up and hit it off.
“It’s very important to remember that Shauna is an incredible 23-year-old woman who has a disability,”
“So as you are building a connection with her, it’s important to acknowledge her disability and look past that and build it with who she is as an individual.”
“As soon as you say that she can’t have a real-world connection with someone else, you dehumanize her. She is a human being. She deserves to have relationships and connections with whoever she wants.”
