Tributes to Kilkenny campaigner Vicky Phelan on her first anniversary

Tributes are rolling in today for courageous Kilkenny campaigner Vicky Phelan on the first anniversary of her passing.

The Mooncoin native came to national attention in 2018 when she refused to sign 'a gagging order' after settling her High Court case against a US lab and brought the CervicalCheck scandal into the light.

This Kilkenny woman has since inspired the hearts and minds of a nation with her dogged determination to pursue the truth and demand justice for those who have been harmed and hurt by the failures of the HSE. 

CervicalCheck Patient Support Group 221+ have issued a statement stating that a year ago today 'we woke up to the news that Vicky Phelan, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a fighter had finally been overtaken by the scourge of cervical cancer'.

The statement continues: "Although she had always told us that a day would come when the body would give no more, for many of us with whom she had a shared history, it was a day we couldn’t believe would ever happen.

"Our first thoughts this week are for Ameila and Darragh, her pride and joy, her husband Jim, her mother and father – Gaby and John, her siblings, extended family and friends of whom there are many. For them her absence from their lives every day can’t be replaced.

"But her spirit lives on and it inspires all of us. The first we heard of Vicky Phelan was the day she stood outside a court room to say that she would not be silenced over the mistakes and shortcomings of others. She stood up for herself. More significantly she stood up for others.

"Politicians on all sides earlier this year were quick to acknowledge her role in prompting the creation of the Patient Safety Bill – something that she had chased for years, a law that makes open disclosure a mandatory obligation of those charged with the care of a patient in the Irish Health system. Vicky would certainly have enjoyed the moment but only as a stepping stone.

"Likewise, she would have celebrated the recommencement late last month of the processing in Ireland of CervicalCheck samples in the National Cervical Screening Laboratory at the Coombe Hospital, again, something she had campaigned on for a long time.

"These, and the reforms of CervicalCheck guided by the recommendations of the Scally Report – which was commissioned in response to her revelations – are real changes that will benefit tens of thousands of Irish women for years to come."

National Women's Council Director Orla O’Connor described Vicky as 'a trailblazer, a woman of incredible courage, who stood up for what she knew to be right'.

"Because of her, the CervicalCheck system was overhauled completely," she said.

"Nonetheless, women’s healthcare in this country continues to be neglected." 

The Marie Keating Foundation, who co-founded 221+ at Vicky's request, said that their 'first thoughts this week are for her children Ameila and Darragh her pride and joy, her husband Jim, her mother, and father – Gaby and John, her siblings, extended family, and friends'.

"Vicky impacted the lives of so many and as we all remember her today, may our thoughts turn to her family," they added.

"Vicky was one of a kind, a woman of enormous heart and courage who is remembered by us all as someone who strived for better and was unrelenting in her pursuit of justice.

"Vicky was told she only had a few months to live but defied the odds turning those few months into 5 years dedicating so much of the time she had to her pursuit of justice.

"Vicky has left an indelible mark on Irish society and her efforts on behalf of women to improve open disclosure and our screening system will live on her name."

When she passed last year, thousands of people descended on the village of Mooncoin, and gathered outside the Church of the Assumption to honour the life of the trailblazing mother-of-two.

At Vicky’s own request, it was an upbeat occasion, as music featured prominently.

Vicky's legacy continues to inspire people to look for answers, and her kind-hearted spirit reminds everyone that in the face of all adversity, moments of happiness can still be found.