RIP Vicky Phelan, cervical cancer campaigner who 'refused to be silenced'

[ArabellaScott]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11425469/Cervical-cancer-campaigner-Vicky-Phelan-dies-aged-48.html

'Irish cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan has died today aged 48 after unearthing one of the biggest medical scandals of recent times.

The Limerick mother-of-two grabbed national headlines after bringing a High Court case over how her cervical smears were handled, which ultimately prompted a series of reviews of Ireland's cervical cancer screening programme CervicalCheck.'
...

'Ms Phelan, speaking in the years afterwards, always made clear that she was fighting for other women as she sought answers for the victims of the controversy.

She did not, she insisted, want to remain silent while other women could be in the same position as her.

Waiving her anonymity, Ms Phelan instead embarked on years of dogged campaigning - achieving a review of the cervical cancer screening service and challenging successive health ministers over one of the biggest scandals to ever hit the Irish health system.'

"I don't want your apologies.
I don't want your tributes.
I don't want your aide de camp at my funeral.
I don't want your accolades or your broken promises.
I want action.
I want change.
I want accountability."

Inspirational woman who has done so much for Irish women. I hope the impact of her campaigning leads to lasting change.

Her campaigning led to the establishment of an independent investigation, led by public health expert Dr Gabriel Scally who reported on the controversy in 2018, which found that at least 221 women were given inaccurate negative results and that the misreported smear tests had been kept from them for years

she will have saved many women’s lives

That is a very powerful epitaph.

221 women? Scandalous.

She will indeed have saved many lives.

That's an incredible message. She sounds like she was an amazing woman.

She does indeed, her family must be very proud of her.

What a waste. an actual tragedy.

RIP should never have happened she was completely let down.

I'm so sad for Vicky today. She has lost so much. My heart breaks for her children and her whole family, what an incredible woman. What an enormous loss. What a debt of gratitude, we, the women of Ireland owe to her. May she rest peacefully.

Just women 😢😢

thank you Vicky 💐💐💐💐

She was an inspiration, a tireless campaigner and did a lot to raise women’s health issues and expose the failings of the HSE. The enquiry led by Dr Scally found that patriarchal attitudes towards women, along with a number of other failings, were part of the reason so many women were misdiagnosed with no accountability.

I became aware of Vicky after seeing her on the Late Late show. Such a brave woman. With such an amzingly brave family too. My heart goes out to them now. Her poor children and husband. Something that could have been prevented if the changes in her smear test had been picked up at the time.