Rest in peace, Ruth Morrissey.
CervicalCheck campaigner Ruth Morrissey, who successfully sued the HSE over the scandal, has died. She was 39.
Morrissey had been suffering from terminal cancer as she fought the case in court, and was awarded damages of €2.1 million from the HSE and two laboratories, Medlab and Quest. A 2014 review had shown that smear test screenings carried out in 2009 and 2012 had both been read incorrectly by the two labs in question.
However, Ms. Morrissey wasn't made aware of the mistake until 2018, the same year that her cancer returned. At least 221 women were affected by similar misreadings.
Paying tribute to the late Morrissey on Twitter, her fellow prominent CervicalCheck campaigner Vicky Phelan wrote: "Ruth was one of the strongest women I know, and also one of the most positive. I never once saw her without a smile on her face and I saw her when she was very ill.
"My thoughts today are with Ruth's husband, Paul and their beautiful daughter, Libby who Ruth adored." Phelan also confirmed that Morrissey died peacefully at Milford Hospice.
