‘It was hard enough saying goodbye’ – hero Kilkenny campaigner admits she lied about about length of cancer treatment in US
Kilkenny hero cancer campaigner, Vicky Phelan admitted that she lied to family and friends about how long she would away while undergoing treatment as “it was hard enough saying goodbye.
The Mooncoin mother of two, who is in the USA currently undergoing a trial cancer treatment, told Ciara Doherty on Virgin Media’s Tonight Show last night that she couldn’t tell my family and friends that I was leaving for 12 months, and told them it was just a six-month trial.
A laughing Vicky (46) told the host: “Well I lied when I told everyone it was six months, but it actually a year. I just thought, you know what, I couldn’t tell my friends and my family I was leaving for 12 months. It was hard enough saying goodbye knowing that they thought I was coming for six.
“I have a schedule right up until the end of January next year,” she explained.
Vicky has been in the US since early January undergoing a new cancer treatment, called M7824 she signed up to trial in the National Institute of Health facility in Maryland.
She hopes if everything goes well, she may be able to travel home for a time later on this year.
“He (Vicky’s Oncologist) knows I’m over here on my own. He has promised me that if we get to a point where I am on a full dose… and obviously if the tumors are shrinking, he would look at extending the periods in between my treatment schedule.
“That would be great. It would mean I would be able to go home and only have to come back every three months.
“I’d say I’m another six months off that yet. To be quite honest,” Vicky said.
She did admit that she sometimes struggles with being alone in the USA and misses her kids and admitted the time spent away from them is extremely hard.
“It’s getting more difficult every week with new restrictions coming in.
“It’s only people who are allowed to come in for essential services. There are some exceptions, and one of them is humanitarian grounds, so I’m really hopping I can get Jim and the kids over on humanitarian grounds.
“I’m terrified about applying, if I’m told they can’t come over that will floor me. It’s kind of a vicious circle,” Vicky concluded.
