Lynsey Bennett to get Pembro in Ireland after success of cancer treatment in Mexico

Lynsey Bennett outside the High Court in February. Picture: Collins Courts

Mother-of-two Lynsey Bennett says she will receive the immunotherapy drug Pembrolizumab from tomorrow.

She recently returned home from Mexico, where she travelled for four weeks of intensive treatment recently. Bennett, 32, was diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer four years ago.

Posting on Instagram today, Bennett says she is getting blood tests and a Covid-19 test to ensure she can begin her new treatment. She said "tears were coming" as she shared the update.

“I start Pembro immunotherapy tomorrow, which was what I wanted to do from when I refused the double chemo back in November,” she says.

“Because of that three-month delay of being approved [for] Pembro, it’s how my path wonderfully led me on my journey to Mexico, which has given me seven months of normality, feeling the best I have in years with my girls that medically was most definitely not expected. 

I have been truly blessed and I smiled to myself as I typed that.

Pembro can manage the disease in some women with advanced cervical cancer. Bennett will receive the drug every three weeks. 

She says her recent scans have been so positive that her doctors told her she could wait months to begin Pembro if she preferred.

“I even had a second opinion on Tuesday two weeks ago where I was told that my scans are honestly so good to be the way that they are that I could wait and get another scan in a couple of months to see do I want to start Pembro then but I feel like it’s time to see if the Pembro will help me or if I need to keep looking outside Ireland.” 

She says she has been going without treatment for a couple of weeks to prepare for tomorrow.

“I’ve been off the different type of immunotherapy from Mexico the past couple of weeks to make sure that it and Pembro wouldn’t cancel each other out and that has terrified me. Feeling naked without it, but have continued the other bits I’ve learnt from Mexico.” 

Lynsey Bennett with her daughters.

Bennett, who is from Co Longford, is looking forward to "a summer of memories" with her family in Ireland while undergoing treatment.

“I would of loved to of gone back to my Mexican family in June but Zoë is finishing sixth class, which is one milestone I most definitely want to be here to see, my baby walking out of primary school in her last day.” 

She says if Pembro doesn’t work for her she will return to Mexico for immunotherapy treatment.

“I have to see how Pembro is working in three months and if it’s not, then my next step would hope to be back to Mexico, ASAP.” 

Earlier this year, Bennett settled her High Court case against the HSE and the laboratory involved in her missed cancer diagnosis. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer in January 2017 following a series of smears since 2010 which failed to detect disease.

Following her settlement in February, Bennett said she was relieved that she has security for her daughters Zoe, 12, and seven-year-old Hayley.

“Unfortunately, I probably will not be here much longer. It is just I will be able to have some peace knowing it is sorted.” 

Bennett's positive outcome follows an update from CervicalCheck campaigner Vicky Phelan, who is feeling ‘a hell of a lot better’ after an extraordinarily difficult week during her cancer treatment in the US.