'The woman who lit the flame' - X users remember Vicky Phelan a year on from her death

Irish social media users are remembering Vicky Phelan on the first anniversary of her death. 

The Cervical Check campaigner died on November 14 2022 at age 48 following a public battle with cervical cancer, which captured the nation's hearts in the years before her death. 

She came to the attention of the public after delivering a speech outside the High Court in 2018, following a €2.5 million settlement with the US lab which tested her smear sample three years before her terminal diagnosis. 

Her refusal to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of this legal action led to the discovery that hundreds of women could have benefited from earlier cancer treatment. 

She co-founded a group called 221+ in order to help the women and families affected by the scandal, and her campaign to discover why this happened and push to ensure it never happens again has resulted in the Irish State issuing an apology. 

She also successfully campaigned for wider access to the HPV vaccine for girls and boys, and access to the immunotherapy drug Pembrolizumab. 

The 221+ group posted on X to mark her anniversary, stating, "A year ago today we lost our biggest big sister. She stood up for herself. More significantly, she stood up for others. Her spirit lives on and it inspires all of us." 

In a statement posted on their official website, they called for a "singular, programmed focus on women's health". 

They said, "Thirty two percent of the adult population between 16 and 65 is female. We appreciate that there are myriad demands on the system but it is time, publicly and unambiguously, to recognise the distinct and specialised health needs of women in the same way that there is recognition of aging (14.93% of the population over 65) and childhood (20.77% under 16. 

"Vicky saw that bigger picture. Her courtside statement in 2018 was not to talk about her case but to alert others to what should have been done better for them. While many among us in 221+ are still trying to work through the impact of CervicalCheck on us personally, in the spirit of Vicky, as a priority, we want to ensure that what is learned, is put to good use for the good of all."

They continued: "Vicky’s work got it across to decision makers that an excellent healthcare service is as much about how the patient feels about their care as it is about medical expertise, facilities, science and technology.

"She also showed the value of the patient’s voice. Her initiative opened a conversation that Dr Scally and others have advanced where the experience of the patient is being recognised as a crucial contributor to health service planning and delivery.

"As a community of women and families brought together by circumstances beyond our doing, 221+ will continue to follow the spirit of Vicky Phelan. We are determined that what she led us to learn will be put to good use. We will always be a voice for patients, sharing our experience and challenging assumptions. We are determined that healthcare for women in Ireland in the future will be better than it has been ever before.

"And we will never forget Vicky Phelan as the woman who lit the flame."

The Irish Cancer Society wrote a post commemorating Vicky on X, stating, "Today, on the 1st anniversary of Vicky Phelan’s death, we remember Vicky and all the other women who aren’t with us today because of cervical cancer.

"We honour their legacies by continuing to work tirelessly to ensure that women’s health is prioritised and promoted in Ireland." 

People Before Profit TD, Gino Kenny, posted a picture of the late campaigner accompanied by the words, "Always in our memories." 

Vicky's alma mater, University of Limerick (UL), also marked her anniversary by posting a photo of the UL graduate taken on the day she received her honorary doctorate. 

The Vicky Phelan Campaign and Portrait Tour - which tells Vicky's story through the triptych portrait - will take place at UL on November 23 at 1pm. 

The exhibition aims to continue her legacy to improve cervical cancer awareness. 

The Marie Keating Foundation also posted about Vicky's anniversary on X, describing her as "one of a kind, a woman of enormous heart and courage who is remembered by us all as someone who strived for better and was unrelenting in her pursuit of justice". 

Famous women have taken part in a new campaign in memory of Vicky called 'Read My Lips', which is calling for eligible women across Ireland to book in for a free cervical screening test. 

Makeup mogul Aimee Connolly and writers Eimear McLysaght and Sarah Breen are among those who took part. 

The National Women's Council of Ireland (NWC) are commemorating her memory by calling on the Irish government to end the Scally Report, which has been called "a paternalistic approach" to women's healthcare. 

In a 2019 speech which NWC has released, Vicky Phelan said, "I want to make sure that we have a health system that is something that I can trust to leave behind, that if [my daughter] develops anything over the years, if I'm not here, that there's a healthcare system that I can say with hand on heart, I've helped to make it better for her and for all of the other girls." 

NWC Director Orla O’Connor said, "Vicky was a trailblazer, a woman of incredible courage, who stood up for what she knew to be right. Because of her, the Cervical Check system was overhauled completely.

"Nonetheless, women’s healthcare in this country continues to be neglected. Budget 2024 was sorely disappointing on this score, and the lack of investment to develop services will be disproportionately felt by women from marginalised groups, like disabled women, Traveller and Roma women, migrant women and trans women."