19 Facts About Vicky Phelan

Vicky Phelan attended the University of Limerick, where she graduated with a BA in European Studies.

Vicky Phelan had been married to Jim Phelan, with whom she had two children.

Vicky Phelan survived but spent 10 days in a coma and was very badly wounded.

Vicky Phelan later said it gave her an insight into another form of healthcare system which was to be of value in her later experiences.

In 2011, Vicky Phelan underwent testing for cervical cancer as part of the CervicalCheck programme and was given the all clear.

However, the smear reading was inaccurate and Vicky Phelan was diagnosed with cancer in 2014.

Vicky Phelan began a campaign to find out what had happened.

Vicky Phelan refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of this, which led to the discovery that hundreds of women could have benefitted from earlier treatment.

Vicky Phelan was awarded an honorary doctorate from UL in June 2018 for her contribution to women's health.

Vicky Phelan supported the passage of the Dying with Dignity Bill, a bill with the aim of legislating for assisted dying.

Vicky Phelan campaigned for these women for accountability and the truth and was recognised across political and social lines as having stood up against the system and made Ireland a better place for women.

Vicky Phelan lent her voice to many issues which affected women in Ireland.

Vicky Phelan was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women in 2018.

In February 2022, Vicky Phelan was awarded the Freedom of Limerick in recognition of her role in the CervicalCheck campaign.

Vicky Phelan wrote her biography, Overcoming which won the An Post Irish Book of the Year award in 2019 as well as being the RTE Radio 1 Listeners' Choice Award for that year.

In 2022, a documentary about Phelan entitled Vicky was released in Irish cinemas.

Vicky Phelan successfully campaigned for access to pembrolizumab, which shrank her tumour and extended her life.

Vicky Phelan received further treatment in the United States, but in October 2021 she returned home to receive palliative care.

Vicky Phelan died at Milford Hospice in County Limerick in the early hours of 14 November 2022, surrounded by her family.