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CERVICAL CANCER CAMPAIGNER Vicky Phelan said last night that she didn’t believe she’d “see Christmas” only a month ago, following her decision to stop chemotherapy.
Phelan, who has been a vocal campaigner for hundreds of women who were affected by the cervical check scandal, said last week she was receiving end-of-life “palliative care”, and told The Late Late Show that she would rather her children have memories with her over the coming weeks, even if it means a shorter time spent with them.
“If I go sooner, so be it,” she said, speaking to host Ryan Tubridy.
“Four weeks ago, I didn’t think I’d see Christmas. That’s how real this is for me at this stage, like I spoke to my oncologist when I made the decision not to have any more chemotherapy, I mean, I think he was hoping I’d have a few more sessions.
“And I just said, no, I’m not doing this to my kids. I’m not doing this to myself at this stage.”
Kilkenny woman Phelan said she does have a “quality of life” at present, following her decision to stop palliative chemotherapy, and said she has been bolstered in her hopes to spend her remaining time with her children, 16-year-old Amelia and ten-year-old Darragh.
"I would rather my children have memories of doing stuff with me and if I go sooner, so be it."
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) November 19, 2021
The inspiring and ever vibrant Vicky Phelan joins Ryan for a catch up. ❤️ #LateLate @PhelanVicky pic.twitter.com/0sgiSNZNdm
She explained that she received a message from one woman in particular which has stuck with her.
“She told me her she was ten when her mother died, so the same age as what my son is now. All I have are memories of my mother, are her being thrown in bed, sick and suffering and she said I think what you’re doing is so brave.
“She said I would rather have had a shorter time with my mother but more quality and I just think, you know, those kinds of messages to me really validate what I’m doing.
“For me, it’s the right thing, and I know it’s not for everybody, but for me, I just think no, I would rather my children have memories of doing stuff with me and if I go sooner, so be it.”
Phelan was instrumental in exposing the cervical check controversy, after launching a High Court case against a US laboratory over incorrect smear test results from 2011.
In 2018, Phelan settled high court proceedings against a US laboratory Clinical Pathology Laboratories Inc, Austin, Texas, after receiving a false negative result for a 2011 smear test. In a 2014 audit, a number of smear tests were found to be incorrect.
Phelan received a terminal cancer diagnosis in 2014 but she was not informed of the smear test review until 2017.
The settlement against the lab was made without admission of liability.
She announced two years ago that she would be stepping back from campaigning to focus on her health.
With reporting by Zuzia Whelan
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Not to worry, the Queen and Obama’s visit should kick extra tourism into gear any time now.. Lol
These figures and a decline in exports are the start of a further decline in economic activity.
The next Exchequer returns for the jan mar period will see a reduction in spend thus proving austerity is forcing the economy into a depression.
This allied to a budget taking 3.5 billion
out will lead to a bleak 2011/12
Part of the decrease may have to do with a slowdown in emigration also.
Please tell me you mean immigration Noel? ;)
What? People AREN’T going on holidays in the winter?
And partly the impact of circa 15 flights in and 15 flights out of the Galway Airport that are no more
The useless DAA should sell the old terminal building in Cork airport to Ryanair. Let them make a regional hub out of it like they wanted to do when the new one opened and then we’ll see the numbers rise…at the moment its just sitting there empty…lateral thinking is needed.
The decline in movements doesn’t necessarily correspond to passenger decline.
The Cork decline looks bad, but amounts to 6 movements a day. Then you look at what those movements were.
The Manx2 flight to Belfast, which was canned after the crash, accounted for 4 of them, yet the plane only had a capacity of 19 and usually carried 10-15 people.
Also gone are the Air SouthWest flights to Newquay and Plymouth after the airline ceased operating. Their aircraft would have been the same size that Aer Arann use.
And then there seem to be fewer ski charters.
Passenger numbers are only down by 2%, despite the large fall in flight movements.
These figures refer to number of flights – not necessarily the number of passengers. Airlines may be running less flights with higher passenger loads, or bigger aircraft.
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