'You're made to feel like you're pretending she has cancer'

A woman whose nine-year-old daughter is battling cancer has said she does not know whether she has the strength to keep fighting for a medical card.

Angela O'Connor's daughter Lucy has twice been refused the card.

Her case was raised in the Dáil earlier by the Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin. Taoiseach Enda Kenny responded by saying that no one was being denied the treatment they require.

Angela says her daughter needs a medical card, but she doesn't know if she has it in her to keep fighting for one.

"Whether I will have the strength to go back to her oncologist or back to my GP for more, I don't know," she said.

"Whether they need to see her in person to see the fact that she has no hair or that her body is now covered in scars.. (Is that) a better picture for the HSE? (Do they) need to see that?

"You're made to feel like you're shaving her head or pretending that she has cancer. That's how I feel anyway."