'I don't want your apologies... I want action. I want change'

“I don't want your apologies. I don't want your tributes. I don't want your aide de camp at my funeral.

“I don't want your accolades or your broken promises. I want action. I want change. I want accountability.” 

Those were the words of cervical cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan, spoken some two years before her tragic death.

She will be remembered in Irish history as someone who successfully brought about much-needed change and accountability in women's healthcare.

Her tireless work, while she was also fighting terminal cancer, has made Ireland a safer place for women. 

A statement issued by the Phelan family — her husband Jim and children Amelia and Darragh — said it was 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."

Originally from Co Kilkenny, Ms Phelan had been given a false negative cervical smear test result in 2011.

She was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2014.

She later took the State to court and bravely exposed the CervicalCheck scandal.

Ms Phelan settled a High Court action for €2.5m in 2018 over the false smear test report that likely cost her life.

A subsequent investigation revealed that approximately 221 women were similarly affected by the CervicalCheck scandal with misreported smear tests — 17 women had already died.

Ms Phelan refused to stay silent when she saw injustice and when she knew that other women could be in the same position.

It was not the tragedy of cervical cancer that propelled her into the public eye. Rather, it was her fearless and frank campaigning, always fighting for other women.

Her dogged campaigning led to a review of the cervical cancer screening service, as she challenged successive health ministers to do better for women.

She documented the ups and downs of her treatment with raw openness.

In January 2021, she made the difficult decision to travel to the US for a clinical trial.

“If this trial works, I get more time with my kids. They understand it, I've been very open and honest with my kids from the very beginning,” she said.

But towards the end of last year, she appeared on The Late Late Show to tell the country that she was stopping chemotherapy in the hope that she could enjoy what time she had left with her children.

Vicky Phelan stopped her chemotherapy in the hope that she could enjoy the remaining time she had.

Ms Phelan always knew time was precious, with the added complications of a global pandemic making her final years all that more difficult.

But the thousands of letters and messages she received from friends, supporters, and admirers gave her strength.

In her autobiography in 2019, she said it was those people who focused her mind.

“There will be others who will continue this fight without me when I'm gone, because we are all in this together at the end of the day,” she said.

“We all come from that same place, from a mother's womb. This is everybody's story.”

A statement from the 221+ patient support group for those affected by the CervicalCheck scandal, said that Ireland’s screening programme failed Vicky in life but in her memory, those with responsibility must ensure that it never fails others.

“Today we have lost our biggest big sister. 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,” a statement from the 221+ group said.

Vicky Phelan and Stephen Teap whose wife died before she was told that her smear test had been wrongly interpreted. Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

“Our hearts go out to Jim, Amelia and Darragh and to Vicky’s mam and dad, her sisters and brothers, and her extended family.

Our pain is suffocating just now but it is nothing compared to their loss.

“Vicky raised her voice in 2018 because she wanted those in power, those with responsibility, to learn from their mistakes.”

Cork-based Cervical Check campaigner Stephen Teap, whose wife Irene died aged 35 in 2017 after developing cervical cancer, wrote a tribute to his late, great friend.

“It is with a broken heart that we say goodbye to my great friend Vicky Phelan who got her wings today,” Mr Teap wrote.

“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.

“Another woman of Ireland taken from us too soon. We will miss you, Vicky. Thank you for just being you, rest in peace, my good friend.” 

Irish Cancer Society Chief Executive Averil Power said Ms Phelan refused to be silent in the face of great personal challenge.

"The issues she brought to light changed the course of history for women in Ireland,” she said.

“Without her courage and her determination, others would not have known the truth behind the CervicalCheck failings.” 

Dr Gabriel Scally, the Government-appointed investigator into the CervicalCheck scandal, called for the nation to salute Vicky.

He said Ms Phelan had been of huge help to him in his CervicalCheck inquiry and would be remembered for changing Irish healthcare. 

Her actions highlighted a patient's right to be told details about their own health and prompted a more patient-focused system, he said.

“She was a great woman. She stood up for the women of Ireland. She knew her odds were not good but she fought it,” Dr Scally said.

Cancer campaigner John Wall also spoke of his great friend, saying: “If we could bottle what she had the world would be a better place.

“She helped thousands of people, that’s her legacy. She has changed Ireland, but her work is not finished.”

Director of the National Women’s Council, Orla O’Connor, described Ms Phelan as an inspiration to many. 

"She will be remembered for her courage in speaking out about the failings in our health system, her resilience in the face of adversity, her authenticity, and her kindness.

“Despite the precious little time she had left, she never stopped to speak out and challenge the status quo. She tirelessly and selflessly campaigned for women and women’s health, and we will be forever grateful for her contribution to making Ireland a better place for women and girls.” 

Shelia Considene and Ann McSweeney, reflecting on Vicky Phelan’s Life at Limerick City Hall. Picture: Brendan Gleeson

Vicky was described as a “bionic woman” by Siobhain Gibbons, whose sister and HPV vaccine campaigner Eileen Rushe also died from cervical cancer.

Ms Gibbons said she broke down crying on hearing of the passing of Ms Phelan.

"I just burst out crying when I heard she died.

To me, she was the bionic woman and I really thought in some way that she would defy all the odds and beat this.

"I think the whole country is feeling such sadness about Vicky's death now and not just those people who have lived with cervical cancer in their homes.

"Hopefully women's health will now be taken more seriously in this country. To lose two beautiful women in a month to a disease, which could've been prevented, is a disgrace.” 

A book of condolences will open in Cork City Hall today for Ms Phelan at 12.30pm and will remain open for two weeks.