So well deserved.
Irishwoman Vicky Phelan has been named as one of the BBC’s “100 inspiring and influential woman” for 2018.
Phelan came to prominence in Irish public life this year after she exposed the Cervical Check scandal which involved the mishandling of cervical screening results, leading to the discovery that many women were not informed that their screening had failed to show signs of cervical cancer.
She had taken an American lab responsible for handling her results to court — and in April of 2018 she won a settlement of €2.5 million from Clinical Pathologies Laboratory, based in Austin, Texas.
The BBC 100 Women list will engage each of its members in conversation, saying: “With their help we will explore a variety of themes, including using anger to spark action, and uncovering women from the shadows of history.”
“Ranging in age from 15 to 94, and from more than 60 countries, the BBC 100 Women list includes leaders, trailblazers and everyday heroes.”
The BBC described Phelan’s achievement thus: “Vicky exposed the CervicalCheck Screening scandal in Ireland, after discovering she and hundreds of other women were not told they had been given incorrect smear test results.”
Speaking to the Irish Times earlier this month, Phelan said that her treatment with “wonder drug” Pembrolizumab had resulted in another small shrinkage in her cervical cancer tumours. This follows a shrinkage of over 50% after she started the therapy around six months ago.
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