#AshlingMurphy
Like every single woman in this country, I have been deeply affected by the brutal, senseless murder of Ashling Murphy in broad daylight on Wednesday.

Before I was diagnosed with cancer, I was an avid runner. I ran 4-5 times a week, always on my own... Each and every time, I had a key between my fingers ready to attack, I was constantly scanning my surroundings and made notes of what men were wearing, how tall they were etc. in case any of them attacked me. I never took the same route twice and I never wore short shorts...

A thread for those working in CervicalCheck

The @IrishTimes printed an article today quoting the Head of CervicalCheck @russellnoirin and the CEO of the National Screening Service @fiona_murphy1 Both women bemoan a lack of trust in screening programmes and claim that this… Lack of trust is “causing women with cervical cancer to put their lives and health at risk !

They claim that “some women are turning to weird & wacky therapies due to an overwhelming lack of trust in screening programmes.” They mention Vitamin C infusions & unproven treatments…

Here we go again….An angry thread

It is only a few short months since Patricia Carrick, another terminally-ill woman who sued the @HSELive & a lab, MedLab, settled her case for the negligent misreading of her slides. Patricia died weeks later. To add insult to injury, Patricia …died without the comfort of knowing that the €2.75 million in damages that she was awarded had been paid out to provide for her family. Her solicitor, Cian O’Carroll had to go back to court to fight for Patricia’s settlement to be paid DESPITE the fact that Patricia Carrick

#motherandbabyhomesreport A V LONG thread
I have not commented on the publication of the Commission of Investigation’s Final Report into Mother and Baby Homes (M&BH) until now because I wanted to read through as much of the 3,000 page report as I possibly could before commenting Taoiseach @MichealMartinTD apologised on behalf of the State to former residents of M&BH earlier today. In his apology, he said that “the report gives survivors what they have been denied for so long: their voice, their individuality, their right to be acknowledged”

I disagree…

Betrayed...A thread

The CervicalCheck Tribunal was established by statutory order (see below) at 00.01 this morning
DESPITE
an announcement yesterday evening by Minister @DonnellyStephen, following a meeting with @221plus reps, that its establishment would be paused

1/n The Department of Health even issued a statement, which they shared with @221plus, to say that:

"At the request of the 221+ Group, the establishment of the Tribunal has been paused for a number of days to allow it to engage with its members"

2/n

CervicalCheck Tribunal - A v angry Thread

I am late to the table responding to the announcement in Cabinet yesterday morning by Minister @DonnellyStephen that he proposes to appoint next Tuesday, October 27 as the establishment day of the CervicalCheck Tribunal.

1/n This announcement was made AT THE SAME TIME that the @221plus received a letter from the Minister's Office informing us that the Minister would be formally establishing the Tribunal NEXT WEEK just as the country is entering its highest level of restrictions due to Covid-19!

2/n

In defence of Ruth Morrissey
Having listened to the Tánaiste's @LeoVaradkar attempt (below) at excusing the way that Ruth Morrissey was treated on the @TodayRadioRTE with the brilliant @SarahAMcInerney, I have the following to say:

ttps://twitter.com/i/status/1286600482685964288 Paul Morrissey, Ruth's widow, issued a damning statement following her death on Sunday stating that neither the State nor the @HSELive apologised to Ruth. This is correct. The State Apology that was delivered in October 2019 could NOT have included Ruth Morrissey...

Cancer screening and Covid19 – At what cost?

The Deputy CMO @ronan_glynn announced on @morningireland that he doesn’t see the resumption of cancer screening services in the ‘foreseeable future’ and advised anyone experiencing symptoms to consult their GP with any concerns. There are a number of issues with this statement:

ONE
As far as I was aware the NPHET was established to oversee the health sector response to the #COVID19 emergency. As such, its remit is to provide direction, support and advice to Government and to the @HSELive.

Accountability & Covid19 - A thread

On this date 2 years ago, Thursday April 25, 2018 I settled my court case & exposed the CervicalCheck debacle. This opened the door for other women and their families to get answers to questions about their cancer diagnosis, and, for many... including me, to find some level of accountability for what had happened to us.

I campaigned for a review of our national cervical screening programme which resulted in the appointment of @gabrielscally & the eventual publication of the Scally Report, which marked a watershed

#ReasonsToBeGrateful A long (but good) thread...

On this date, two years ago, on Mon, April 16, 2018, I received my first infusion of Pembrolizumab, the lifesaving immunotherapy drug that has not only kept me alive but living with a quality of life I did not think was possible with terminal cancer.
I honestly thought that I would be spending my final months sick in bed and, possibly in a hospital or a hospice.

But, this drug has given me my life back. Apart from one stint in hospital in February 2019, I have been living my life like everyone else.

RIGHT THAT'S IT ....A thread on why we need to postpone the St. Patrick's Day Parades

I am supporting our doctors and epidemiologists, like @ProfJohnCrown and Prof Sam McConkey and others who have called on the Government to to postpone the #StPatricksDayParade NOW... 1/6 And not in a week's time, or two days beforehand. Do the RIGHT thing now.

Yes, the economy will suffer BUT we postponed the parades in 2001 following the Foot and Mouth disease when Min for Agr Joe Walsh showed true leadership and postponed the parades until May of that year 2/6

A #COVID19ireland thread....
As a result of the escalation in the number of cases of coronavirus, my oncologist contacted me last night to strongly advise me to avoid large gatherings of people since I am in an at risk groups for severe disease should I contract the virus 1/7 And so, I have cancelled all events for March in order to do my bit to help to contain the virus to protect myself but also to protect other vulnerable members of my community like my mother, who has rheumathoid arthritis and takes medication that suppresses her immune system 2/7

A LONG Thread...
I have decided to reactivate my Twitter account for a very brief period in order to express my views on the RCOG Review process. I fully support Lorraine Walsh’s decision to step down from the Cervical Check steering committee 1/9 I share Lorraine’s concerns about the RCOG review process. I would like to state, for the record, that I do not have confidence in the RCOG review process. The RCOG Review was established to examine the individual histories of women who had been through the CervicalCheck...2/9