"I don't even know if my little baby will remember me. What makes this situation so sick is that the government aren't doing anything about it."
Emma Mhic Mhathúna is a mother-of-five who has been given a terminal diagnosis of cancer.
During an incredibly powerful interview with
Morning Ireland, she recounts her story after being diagnosed with cervical cancer. Ms Mhic Mhathúna was originally told that her smear test was clear in 2013, but it wasn't.
Three years later, her cancer was diagnosed and she was never told about her incorrect smear test.
“I’ve been told I’m dying… I’m dying and I don’t need to be. I’m only 37… this isn’t fair. This is what makes it so heartbreaking, I'm dying when I don't need to die," she said.
During an incredibly moving interview, she said that telling her children about the news was the hardest thing she ever did because "as a mother, it's my job to protect them".
"It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do because as a mother my job is to protect them… I had to collect them from school early and tell them that I’m dying. It’s a horrible thing to witness, to be honest, there’s so much pain in the house," she said.
The Kerry native adds that "what makes this situation so sick is that the government aren't doing anything about it".
Ms Mhic Mhathúna was also critical of the Minister for Health, Simon Harris, the HSE and the government. She states that "the government are not actually capable of minding us and that's their job, to make sure we're OK. I'm dying when I don't need to die".
Here's her incredibly powerful interview in full.
Main image via RTE Facebook
