Oonagh Shanley-Toffolo was raised in County Leitrim, Ireland, and later trained as a nurse in Dublin. During her two decades as a nun, she served the poor in both France and India. After leaving her order, she continued her nursing career in London and Paris. In 1981, she became one of the first Western women to learn acupuncture in China, following the end of the Cultural Revolution. During the last twenty years, as a healer and acupuncturist in London, she has been interviewed frequently by the media. Oonagh divides her time between London and Paris.