Hero campaigner Vicky Phelan to lead Kilkenny’s St Patrick’s Day Parade
CERVICAL cancer campaigner Vicky Phelan will lead the city’s annual St Patrick’s Day Parade next month.
The Mooncoin mother-of-two has campaigned tirelessly on behalf of women who have been caught up in the Cervical Check controversy since emerged last year smear tests of 221 women failed to identify abnormalities.
Councillor Joe Malone, who is Chairperson of the Kilkenny St Patrick’s Day Committee, described Vicky as “a leading light” in the Cervical Check campaign.
He said her articulate, clear and positive leadership was “a beacon of hope for many”.
Cllr Malone added: “Cancer has hit most of our families in some way but the trauma experienced by Vicky and the hundreds of others so cruelly misdiagnosed has shocked the nation.”
Confirming Vicky’s appointment as Grand Marshal, Kilkenny St Patrick’s Day said on social media: “We are thrilled and proud! She has received numerous awards, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Limerick and was recently named by BBC News as one of the 100 most inspiring women in the world. Closer to home, she has had a special civic reception held in her honour by Kilkenny County Council and was of course named Kilkenny Person of the Year last November.”
