“IF there’s any message I want people to take from this book, it is hope that, even in the hardest of times, life is worth living, one precious moment at a time.”

The words of Vicky Phelan, ahead of the launch of her new book, Overcoming: A Memoir, which will be released on September 12.

To mark the launch, Vicky will be doing an in-conversation event, with TV presenter and Cork woman Elaine Crowley, to discuss the memoir, on Sunday, September 22, at 2.30pm in the Radisson Blu, Hotel, Little Island, where up to 200 people, can attend. Tickets are €20 and include a pre-signed copy of the book and are available from Easons.

WHO IS VICKY PHELAN?

When Vicky delivered an emotionally charged statement from the steps of the Four Courts in April, 2018 — having refused to sign a non- disclosure agreement in the settlement of her action against the HSE — she unearthed the medical and political scandal of our times.

Since then, Vicky has become women’s voice for justice on the issue, and her system-changing activism has made her a household name.

In her memoir Overcoming, Vicky shares her remarkable personal story, from a life-threatening accident in early adulthood through to motherhood, a battle with depression, her devastating later discovery that her cancer had returned in shocking circumstances — and the ensuing detective-like scrutiny of events that led the charge for her history-making legal action.

An inspiring story of rare resilience and power, Overcoming is an account of how one woman can move mountains — even when she is fighting for her own life — and of finding happiness and strength in the toughest of times.

BREAKING A SCANDAL

Vicky is mother to Amelia and Darragh, married to Jim, and living in Limerick, Ireland. She is a lifelong learner and has always worked in the education field.

She credits her education with giving her the tools to take on her greatest challenge — fighting for her life. By going public on her court action against the HSE in 2018, she broke the cervical cancer scandal and has become a household name, for her powerful advocacy work to ensure that standards and accountability are brought to bear within the Irish health service so that what happened to her and others cannot happen again.