“I knew this day would come, and that Pembro would stop keeping all of my tumours at bay.”
Vicky Phelan is researching further treatment methods following diagnosis of a new tumour in her lung.
The CervicalCheck campaigner, who was given a false cancer diagnosis amidst the CervicalCheck scandal, revealed her latest diagnosis this week.
Writing on Twitter, she said that she had delayed announcing the news to allow time to process it with her family.
So, I have been holding off on sharing news that my cancer is growing back (slowly, thankfully)
I needed the time to absorb this news and for my family & friends to absorb it too ❤
In addition to growth in three tumours, I have developed a new (tiny – 3mm) tumour in my lung.
— Vicky Phelan (@PhelanVicky) November 2, 2020
“So, I have been holding off on sharing news that my cancer is growing back (slowly, thankfully),” she said. “I needed the time to absorb this news and for my family & friends to absorb it too.
“In addition to growth in three tumours, I have developed a new (tiny – 3mm) tumour in my lung. I knew this day would come, and that Pembro would stop keeping all of my tumours at bay.”
Phelan, who is currently campaigning for a CervicalCheck tribunal “that meets the needs of women and families,” said that she isn’t experiencing any symptoms yet other than bouts of tiredness.
She added that she is currently researching new treatments that will give her a better quality of life.
Later speaking to RTÉ’s Drive Time, Phelan said that through her research, she is “literally just buying time.”
“We’ve seen it with Ruth Morrissey, we’ve seen it with Emma Mhic Mhathuna… I’m going to see it,” she said. “My cancer is back and I’m literally just buying time. I’m going to die, I know that.
“This is a disease that affects very young women with young families, and all of these women are leaving young children behind, or in some cases, women who have not had the opportunity to have families.
“Why wouldn’t I try and do as much as I can to try and help as many women as I can not go through what I’m going through – it’s as simple as that.”
This comes after members of the 221+ Cervical Cancer Patient Support Group said that they were not given the opportunity to respond to the government’s decision to set up a tribunal, two years after it had first been announced.
