Vicky’s ‘Xmas at home’ hope for new treatment
VICKY Phelan is to undergo beam therapy in a bid to shrink the large tumours in her lower back.
The brave mother of two hopes the treatment will allow her to be home in time for Christmas.
The specialised type of radiation therapy uses protons to precisely target tumours.
The Cervicalcheck campaigner is hopeful that if it achieves 20% shrinkage and reduces the amount of pain she is in she could hopefully delay going for any medical treatment, such as chemotherapy, for up to six months.
She said this course of targeted treatment was necessary as the tumours are “dangerously close” to invading her vital organs. It should allow her to “buy myself six months” before it grows back.
Vicky, from Mooncoin, Co Kilkenny, added: “If I could go home at the end of this round of treatment I’d be home around November. I’d be home for Christmas.
“If it meant I didn’t have to go inside a goddamn hospital for two or three months, except for maybe flushing out my port and check-ups, I’d be so happy.
“It would just be the best Christmas present to be able to be at home with my kids and not going to a hospital, I swear to God.”
Vicky revealed she made the decision to pursue this therapy after a long process of research, consultations, applying for access to her medical records and sending the records to various hospitals in order for them to review her scans and medical history.
She said: “I think it would reduce the amount of pain I’m in at the moment because my pain has definitely increased over the last number of months due to the increase in that tumour mass circling my aorta.
“I have to sit down after a couple of minutes so I’m planning where I’m going all the time to make sure I can sit somewhere.
“This proton beam therapy would hopefully relieve that pain or that pressure.”
The tumour is also close to Vicky’s kidneys, bladder and liver. If it grows bigger, she said: “At that stage there’s nothing that would be able to be done so I’m really trying to stop it from invading organs.
“Following a consultation at Georgetown University Hospital last Friday, I have been deemed eligible for proton beam therapy.
“We do not have access to proton beam therapy in Ireland. Patients in Ireland have to go to the UK or elsewhere in Europe to avail of this treatment. And so, while I am still here in the United States, I wanted to see if I would be eligible.
“Next steps are I am booked in tomorrow morning to have CT planning scans done so my team can map out my treatment. This process can take up to two weeks.
“Once a plan has been drawn up, treatment takes place over five weeks, five days a week Monday to Friday and then I will have a scan once finished to see how successful the therapy was.”