By Róise Collins
Last week, the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, visited Donegal. Travelling from her constituency in the capital to Letterkenny University Hospital, Ms. MacNeill took a route all too familiar to many people in Donegal.
Every week, people from across this county make the long journey to Dublin or Galway for cancer treatment.
This physically and emotionally-draining commute has become a central issue for cancer care campaigners who are calling for improved cancer treatment services within the county to spare patients these long, difficult trips.
During her visit, the minister met with several local campaigners, including Clonmany woman Rosenna Doherty Toner, who has organised three protests outside LUH to highlight the urgent need for upgraded cancer services. The minister also met Betty Holmes, Chairperson of Donegal Action for Cancer Care (DACC), who has spent more than two decades advocating for equitable cancer care in the neglected north west corner of the country.
Noelle Duddy of Cooperating for Cancer Care North West also met with the minister, advocating for increased cross-border cooperation in healthcare.
Joining them was Glencar, Letterkenny woman Mary Devlin Orr, whose family’s experience with cancer opened her eyes to the pressing need for better local services.
In 2020, Mary suffered unimaginable loss when both her father and brother, both named Willie Devlin, passed away from cancer within just three months of each other.
Her father had battled illness for over a decade, living with Leukaemia and skin cancer.
Most of his treatment took place in Letterkenny University Hospital, but he also had to travel to Sligo and Galway for treatment related to his skin cancer.
Mary highlighted the strain long distance travel places on seriously ill patients and the urgent need for better cancer care access in the county.
From the Glen Road in Annagry, nearly an hour’s drive from Letterkenny, her father’s long journeys for care were among the most difficult parts of his fight with cancer.
Speaking to the Donegal News, Mary recalled her father’s final trip to Galway for a skin grafting procedure. It was a day surgery performed under local anaesthetic, but the return journey home was agonising.
“He never ever complained of pain, but he called me in and said, ‘Mary, this is sore’. So I knew then how much pain he was in.
“That’s the only time I heard him say that throughout his cancer journey.”
Mary also recalled her father’s repeated struggle accessing care. After treatment, he often had to go through ED, and wait 24 to 48 hours on a trolley in the corridors due to a lack of beds in the oncology-haematology ward.
Despite everything Mary said her father remained stoic and strong for the sake of their family.
“He did it for us. He was a family man. My mother died young and he brought us up. He was everything.”
Just two weeks after his death, the family received more devastating news. Mary’s brother Willie, who was only 63 years old, was also diagnosed with cancer.
Willie had lived with their father and cared for him throughout his illness.
“It was all about dad and I don’t know if we missed the signs.”
Initially, they believed his illness was just a chest infection, but within a month of their father’s passing, it was confirmed to be cancer.
“So six weeks after my father died we were bringing Willie out here too,” Mary said.
But Covid restrictions were in full force. When they arrived at the cancer unit to start his treatment, his temperature was taken and he was turned away.
“He was very ill at the time so we went through ED but he never made it to a cancer ward.
“He never got cancer treatment. He died in there in three weeks and we couldn’t even see him.”
Willie passed away just three weeks later. The family saw him only once more, on the day before he died. “They must have known his time was getting shorter so they let us all go in. We had the loveliest day with him.”
“He was the kindest person, even that day he made us so happy.”
Despite the many challenges, Mary expressed her deep gratitude to the staff at LUH for the care they provided her father.
“They gave him every chance,” she said.
“If it hadn’t been for Covid maybe my brother would have got his treatment too.”
Mary said it was really difficult to talk about her family’s harrowing experience, until she heard others speaking out about their journey, including Rosenna Doherty Toner, who also battled a form of Leukaemia.
They inspired her to join the fight for improved and equitable services in Donegal, so no one else has to endure what her family has.
“We are here because of our lived experience.
“We don’t want this to be the people of Donegal’s story forever more,” Mary said.
Speaking to the Donegal News following her meeting with the cancer care campaigners the minister said she recognised the challenges facing Donegal and the need for an expansion of services.
“I really want to thank them for coming and describing not just their personal journeys but the journeys of so many people who live with cancer,” she said.
“I really recognise and understand that Donegal has experienced that at a deeper level, to many other counties, for lots of different reasons.”
She said that it is really important to acknowledge and understand that. “I’ve always been aware of the depth of feeling in relation to cancer care services, the need for better services and the distances that people have to travel and how to provide better care.
“So what I am listening to today with the HSE and with hospital management is different plans for building on the expansion that is there in relation to cancer services and haematology services.”
The campaigners also left the meeting feeling optimistic.
They said their concerns were listened to and that the minister was aware of the challenges facing Donegal.
“We are happy with the outcome and we will just have to see what happens down the track and hopefully there will be results,” said Ms Doherty Toner.
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