‘It’s for people I’m doing this, not awards’ – hero Kilkenny campaigner Vicky

HERO campaigner Vicky Phelan has slammed ongoing delays in the cervical cancer screening process as “unacceptable”.

The Kilkenny mother-of-two spoke out a year after she was awarded €2.5m in a High Court action over the alleged misreading of her cervical cancer smear.

The Mooocoin woman was recently forced to take a step back from campaigning to concentrate on her health. She revealed she has been through a “rough few weeks”, but is now feeling good again.

In an interview with RTÉ’s Miriam O’Callaghan, Vicky looked back on an often tumultuous year in which a lot has happened, but much has remained the same.

The Kilkenny woman, who led the St Patricks’ Day Parade in the city last month, said she never expected to become a celebrity.

But she’s glad her campaigning has encouraged other women to go for smear tests and to stand up for themselves.

“Screening saves lives and the cervical screening programme – while it has its faults – it has saved thousands of lives,” she said.

“A year later, I still feel very uncomfortable with a lot of all this. I never wanted to be a celebrity or in the papers or have people come up and recognise me. But it’s lovely.

“It’s for people I’m doing this. I’m not doing this for plaudits or awards.”