'I’ve got 11 tumours' reveals Vicky Phelan as she discusses US drug trial

Vicky Phelan speaking on The Late Late Show. Picture: RTÉ/The Late Late Show

Vicky Phelan has revealed that she has 11 tumours following a scan in the US. 

The campaigner flew to Maryland earlier this month to take part in a clinical trial, and she will be staying there for the next six months.

She told The Late Late Show that a scan showed that things had deteriorated since her last scan in Septemeber but that she glad she is in the US for the trial. 

Ms Phelan said she was “really good” and added that she didn’t think she would be “at this stage of the week”.

Talking about the trial she explained that she got her first dose of treatment on Tuesday, saying that she had been “quite nervous” but “anxious to get started”.



Ms Phelan said: “I’ve had a scan since I got here and the scan showed that things had deteriorated since my last scan at home in September.

“In addition to these three tumours that I already have that had grown, they’ve now doubled in size. 



“And I’ve got two new tumours up here in my shoulder blade in my super clavicular…they’re called lymph nodes.” 

Ms Phelan said she is glad she made the move to the US “because things are starting to kind of deteriorate and they will deteriorate further”. 

She stated that despite being worried about the side effects of the new treatment, she was also “anxious to get started, to try and start attacking these tumours that are now growing.

“I’ve got 11 tumours which is quite a lot when you think of that.” She said that she wondered how she had 11 tumours and was still able to stay standing.

She said there are three drugs in the trial, compared to one previously.

Ms Phelan said she was worried about the side effects and the combinations, but added that she didn’t have one of the drugs on Tuesday.

She said that the doctor explained that one of the side effects of the drug is bleeding - blood in urine and stools - and the trial has to stop if you have that sort of bleeding.

Ms Phelan said the doctors have applied to the FDA to administer a lower dose, which if approved she will get in two weeks' time.

Letter

She said before she left, her son Darragh, had written a letter to her, and when she read it she “crumbled”.

She said: “He was hugging me, I was hugging him. It was just beautiful.

“What I loved about it was the fact that here is my nine-year-old son writing me a lovely message.

Vicky Phelan speaking to Ryan Tubridy on The Late Late Show.

“And you think often children can be selfish and think about themselves. 

“I thought he’d be writing ‘I’ll really miss you, Mam and it’s terrible that you have to go’, but he wasn’t.

“He was saying ‘I know you have to go. This is going to give you more time. We’ll miss you but we’ll be talking to you everyday’.

“And he was trying to make me feel better. I’m so proud of him for that. He can see beyond himself.” 

Perspective

Ms Phelan added that she has been “inundated” with messages of pure love and support which she said was “lovely”.

Ms Phelan said the messages give her support but also “perspective”.

She said one man emailed her after her last appearance on the Late Late Show. The man had been watching with his brother who suffers from depression.

Ms Phelan said the letter revealed, “after watching me on [ The Late Late Show] he said it was the first time he’d seen a little bit of life and a little bit of brightness in [his brother’s] eyes.” 

Ms Phelan said that messages like that mean “so much” to her.

“To think that you’re helping somebody at home that is not feeling well and can see that I’ve struggled and I’m willing to talk about it but I’m still here to tell the tale.

“That makes a huge difference to me over here.”