Vicky Phelan and her phenomenal legacy that should never have been necessary

On a July day back in July 2018, my work took me to Glenties, and as I often did when in that part of the county, I went into the Highlands Hotel for lunch.

The MacGill Summer School was in full swing, and while that wasn’t my reason for being there, it was still of interest personally and professionally.

As I tucked into my delicious chowder, I took a look around the restaurant to see who was there, hoping there might be someone with whom I might catch a quick interview.

My eyes came to rest at a particular table, and I experienced an ache in my heart that took my breath away and put all other thoughts out of my head.

Sitting with a group at a table just inside the door was Vicky Phelan. Like so many people, I had been greatly moved by her courage and had followed her story from afar. 

And like so many women of a similar age to Vicky, I knew that it could so easily have been me or any of my circle in her shoes, as indeed, were hundreds of other women around the country, some of whom had already lost their lives to cervical cancer that should have been detected following smear tests. 

I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was the brightest light in the room, gentle, yet confident as she laughed, smiled and chatted with those at her table. 

Whether Vicky felt my stare or just happened to glance my way, she looked at me. My natural instinct would normally have been to look away, maybe to be a little embarrassed to be found staring at someone. But instead I smiled, nodded a greeting, and let all my gratitude as a woman and as a mother of girls pass between us. 

She returned my smile, and acknowledged my greeting with a nod of her own. I had the feeling that such loaded encounters with random strangers had become part of her everyday life, and she was comfortable with them.  

My professional instinct was to catch her eye again as I was leaving, to ask her if I could have a quick word, to get an interview or video clip. I have no doubt that she would have complied. After all, she was there to share her story. But I simply walked past her.

Back in my car, I berated myself for a missed opportunity. 

But the truth is, I couldn’t have uttered a word to Vicky Phelan or to anyone else at that moment when I passed her table. I had a huge lump in my throat and tears pricking my eyes; a grief for this beautiful, brave woman who was living so honourably despite a terminal illness that should never have taken hold. 

And I was angry too; angry for every single one of the 221 women whose smear test abnormalities were not detected by the US lab to which they had been outsourced, angry that when a chance review - originally carried out for educational purposes - showed the anomalies, they were not shared with 162 of the 221 women; angry that this lifesaving screening programme had failed so many people who put their faith in the system.

It was by chance that Vicky Phelan found out that her 2011 smear test had shown abnormalities. According to doctors who later gave evidence in court, it could at that time have been treated with a relatively simple procedure that would have given her a 90% chance of survival. 

Her next smear test in 2014 showed that she had cervical cancer, and she began treatment. 

In 2017 she browsed through her file while waiting for an appointment. That was how she learned of the findings of an audit which had taken place in 2014, showing the error. 

It emerged that she had not been informed of the findings due to a row between doctors and the organisation Cervical Check about who should tell her.

By that time, a number of other affected  women had already died without ever knowing about the mistake.

I try to imagine how Vicky Phelan must have felt at that moment when she read about error - to be going through cancer treatment knowing that you won’t see your children grow up, you won’t get to grow old with your partner, you won’t get to do any of the things you had planned - and then to discover by chance that it could all have been prevented had a mistake not been made and gone undetected until it was too late.

I can only imagine the disbelief, the anger, the scream building inside her. And I am in awe of how she gathered herself together and moved forward with such a sense of purpose and determination.

Vicky took up a courageous battle through the justice system, successfully suing the HSE and the US laboratory where the mistake was made. This opened the doors for other women and for bereaved families, and put the shocking errors - and the failure to detect them as a result of insufficient auditing - very much in the public eye, forcing action and accountability.

Vicky underwent a number of trial treatments in the US that helped prolong her life and give her precious time with her beloved children.

The outcome was however inevitable, and Vicky announced earlier this year that she would no longer be taking part in trials in the US, but would return to Ireland for palliative care. 

Even though her death was expected, it has had a profound effect on the entire country and led to a massive outpouring of love for this incredible woman.

Vicky Phelan was so much more than the victim of a medical mistake. She was a committed campaigner, a compassionate and generous soul who extended the hand of friendship to many other people who were suffering.

Most of all, Vicky was a loving mother, wife, friend, an inspiration to many.

We all have a huge debt of gratitude for everything she did for the women of Ireland and for all who love and cherish them.

Ireland has lost one of its most beautiful, courageous and extraordinary people; we are better for her legacy but infinitely poorer for her death.