The mother of five caught up in the CervicalCheck scandal has explained how she had to tell her young children that she was dying.
In an interview today on An Saol ó Dheas on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Emma Ni Mhathúna, has made an appeal to President Michael D Higgins.
She also said some of the most senior politicians in the country were like Teletubbies.
Emma explained to Helen Ní Shé how she had to sit down with her children to tell them she was dying yesterday. Emma is raising her children on her own as a single mum.
She said: “I sat down and told them I was dying ... Oisín, he’s six years of age, he asked if I’d be coming back, don’t go anywhere Mammy, do you not love me? He doesn’t understand.”
“I had to ask them the awful question – do you want to be kept together ... I have a very hard job now because I have five children and my father lives in England.
This morning, Donncha was on one side of me in the bed and Oisín was on the other, they fight over who can be beside Mammy in the morning... who will be able to take my place when I’m gone?
"You can’t put a price on (the importance of) my job.”
In the interview on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Emma appealed to the President to take a stand on the matter.
“And I’d like to say to the President, if he’s listening, think about the women in your family, and ask yourself, if someone gave one of them cancer unnecessarily, what would you do?
"It’s unbelievable. Women of Ireland are dying, they are the daughters and mothers of this country.
"I have five children, Vicky Phelan has two ... how many children will be without mothers after this scandal?”
Emma also said that she had no confidence in politicians.
“It has really upset me, because they’re all standing back and they know somebody has to take responsibility for killing the women of Ireland... I’m very angry about it.”
“The English for our national anthem Amhrán na bhFiann is The Soldiers’ Song, but there’s no soldiers looking after us here.
"They’re like Teletubbies. I have a new name for the Taoiseach, Tony and Simon – Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po, because they haven’t a clue what they’re doing.”
This morning, Donncha was on one side of me in the bed and Oisín was on the other, they fight over who can be beside Mammy in the morning... who will be able to take my place when I’m gone?
"You can’t put a price on (the importance of) my job.”
In the interview on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Emma appealed to the President to take a stand on the matter.
“And I’d like to say to the President, if he’s listening, think about the women in your family, and ask yourself, if someone gave one of them cancer unnecessarily, what would you do?
"It’s unbelievable. Women of Ireland are dying, they are the daughters and mothers of this country.
"I have five children, Vicky Phelan has two ... how many children will be without mothers after this scandal?”
Emma also said that she had no confidence in politicians.
“It has really upset me, because they’re all standing back and they know somebody has to take responsibility for killing the women of Ireland... I’m very angry about it.”
“The English for our national anthem Amhrán na bhFiann is The Soldiers’ Song, but there’s no soldiers looking after us here.
"They’re like Teletubbies. I have a new name for the Taoiseach, Tony and Simon – Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po, because they haven’t a clue what they’re doing.”
