Vicky Phelan’s devastated husband Jim told how she will leave an “impossible to fill void” as Ireland’s women thanked her for fighting on their behalf.
Mrs Phelan, 48, died early yesterday at Milford Hospice in Limerick after battling cervical cancer since 2014 after she was misdiagnosed. The mum-of-two had undergone a smear test in 2011 showing no abnormalities, before her diagnosis three years later.
Ms Phelan then exposed the CervicalCheck screening scandal in Ireland after discovering she was not told she had been given incorrect test results. Last night, Jim and the couple’s children, Darragh, 10, and 16-year-old Amelia, issued a statement.
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They said: “It is with an immense burden of grief that earlier today we bade our final farewell to our beloved Vicky. She was the heart and soul of our family unit and her passing will leave a void in all our lives, that at this point seems impossible to fill.
“We cherish the memories of a loving wife, mother, daughter and sister, whose ability to deal with the struggles of life has inspired not only ourselves but an entire nation. The outpouring of grief and good wishes from far and wide are truly appreciated. Funeral arrangements when made will be private, with an opportunity for people to pay their respects in due course.”
Tributes were also paid by fellow cervical cancer campaigners who said the Mrs Phelan, who was from Kilkenny, had been an inspiration to them. In 2018, she settled a High Court case against Clinical Pathology Labs US, receiving €2.5million without admission of liability.
Her statement on the steps of the court lifted the lid on women not being informed there had been doubts about their initial tests. Mrs Phelan’s fellow campaigner Stephen Teap, whose wife Irene died of cervical cancer, said he was heartbroken to lose his “great friend”.
He added another Irish woman had been “taken from us too soon”. Mr Teap added: “Five years ago she was told she only had a few months to live. She defied all the odds and through her strength and courage became a national treasure honouring us all with her wisdom, love and great sense of humour.”
CervicalCheck campaigner Lorraine Walsh said: “She was always interested in people’s lives and their story. She just had that warmth about her and I think that’s why people are having such an outpouring of sadness today because she was a real woman. She was very honest.” The 221+ support group said they felt like they had lost their “biggest big sister”.
Read more: Cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan dies aged 48
They added: “We are shattered. She told us this day would come but she fought so hard and so well that we couldn’t let ourselves think it would happen.” The group added Mrs Phelan “raised her voice in 2018 because she wanted those in power, those with responsibility to learn from their mistakes.”
Averil Power, CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, said she “refused to be silent in the face of great personal challenge and the issues she brought to light changed the course of history for women in Ireland”. Ms Power said cervical cancer “robbed her of her future” but because of her advocacy, others will “never have to go through what she went through”.
President Michael D Higgins said Mrs Phelan said: “All of us who had the privilege of meeting Vicky will have been struck by the powerful inner strength and dignity with which she not only faced her own illness, but with the sense of commitment to the public good and the rights of others with which she campaigned. Vicky, in all of this, made an enormous contribution to Irish society. Thanks to her tireless efforts, despite the terrible personal toll she herself had to carry, so many women’s lives have been protected and will be protected in the future.
Taoiseach Michael Martin said Vicky “stood up for the public interest”. He told RTE’s Today With Claire Byrne: “I think this is very, very sad news.
“I think in the history of this country, her actions, particularly in terms of not signing a confidentiality agreement at that particular time and her statement outside the steps of the High Court, will live long in the memory as an example of someone who stood up against the system and the normal conventions of actions to say ‘no, I’m not signing that. I want this revealed in the public interest’. She stood up for the public interest.
Tanaiste and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar extended his sympathies. He added: “Vicky was a shining example of the power of the human spirit. Her fight to uncover the truth and the courage with which she faced her illness made her an inspiration to us all.”
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Former Health Minister Simon Harris said Mrs Phelan “made our country a better place”. Her solicitor Cian O’Carroll spoke of how she dismissed all attempts to gag her, saying “she was determined that she was going to fight her case in court”.
Mr O’Carroll said this led to the campaign to ensure other people found out the truth of what happened to them. It led the Government to commission the Scally report and a State apology and other families affected to form the 221+ group.
Dr Gabriel Scally said Mrs Phelan stood up for all of the women in Ireland adding he was privileged to have worked with her on the inquiry. He added: “In years to come, she will be regarded as having a seminal influence on healthcare in Ireland and changing it towards a much more patient, sensitive and respectful system.”
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