Gerard P. Craughwell: Daughter's Cancer Story, Health System Critique
Gerard P. Craughwell recounts his daughter's diagnosis, surgery and survival after tongue cancer and criticises gaps in the health system. He highlights chronic post-treatment health issues, repeated annual struggles to secure a medical card, long A&E waits and insensitive workplace questions, and urges support for Daffodil Day.
He describes his daughter finding an ulcer under her tongue at 19, the diagnosis of cancer of the tongue, and the operation that left her with half a tongue. He recalls being told she might never speak or eat again, the long day of waiting for updates and that she was finally wheeled out of theatre at 3am.
He reports that his daughter survived but continues to suffer chronic health issues and reduced tongue function, and stresses that survivors and their families remain affected after treatment. He says cancer never forgets that it had hold of you and that the impact endures.
He criticises the inability of the health system to provide a continuous medical card, saying his daughter had to fight every year to retain one. He also warns that hospital attendance requires sitting in A&E alongside people who are drunk or using drugs, creating undignified and difficult conditions for the unwell.
He recounts supervisors asking how many times she will be out sick next year and calls that behaviour heartless. He urges people to remember the whole family suffers and to support Daffodil Day as a way of looking after cancer survivors and their families.
Personal account of diagnosis and surgery
He describes his daughter finding an ulcer under her tongue at 19, the diagnosis of cancer of the tongue, and the operation that left her with half a tongue. He recalls being told she might never speak or eat again, the long day of waiting for updates and that she was finally wheeled out of theatre at 3am.
Long-term health and survivor experience
He reports that his daughter survived but continues to suffer chronic health issues and reduced tongue function, and stresses that survivors and their families remain affected after treatment. He says cancer never forgets that it had hold of you and that the impact endures.
Medical card struggles and hospital conditions
He criticises the inability of the health system to provide a continuous medical card, saying his daughter had to fight every year to retain one. He also warns that hospital attendance requires sitting in A&E alongside people who are drunk or using drugs, creating undignified and difficult conditions for the unwell.
Workplace insensitivity and appeal for Daffodil Day
He recounts supervisors asking how many times she will be out sick next year and calls that behaviour heartless. He urges people to remember the whole family suffers and to support Daffodil Day as a way of looking after cancer survivors and their families.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Other speeches
Tego samego dnia All speeches from this day →
Mattie McGrath
Mattie McGrath urges more funding for scheme aiding disconnected households
Mattie McGrath
Mattie McGrath raises men's sheds funding shortfall
Mattie McGrath
Mattie McGrath raises concern over Men's Sheds funding shortfall
Richard Boyd Barrett
Richard Boyd Barrett on bereaved partners' pensions, children's welfare
Rose Conway-Walsh
Rose Conway-Walsh on UK qualification recognition delays
Sharon Keogan
Sharon Keogan: Calls for sustainable support for Ukrainian refugees
Transcript
My beautiful daughter at the age of 19 found a mouth ulster under her tongue, it simply wouldn't go away and being a young teenager getting her to go to the doctor was quite a problem but eventually she went and long story short she had a diagnosis of cancer of the tongue and I remember the day we brought her to theatre and I remember her consultant saying to us speak to her for the few days that she would be at home before the surgery because she may never speak again, she may never eat again and we brought her in and I remember bringing her to theatre at 8 o'clock in the morning and we were told to ring back at midday. We rang at midday and we were told to ring back at 6 in the evening. We rang at 6 in the evening and they said ring back at 9 and we rang at 9 and at 9 o'clock we said no wait we've had enough there's still no news we'll go in. Three o'clock in the morning she was wheeled out of theatre. At 19 to lose half your tongue was horrendous. Cancer never ever ever forgets that it had hold of you. And my beautiful daughter has survived, thank God, she has half a tongue, she talks more than I do and you can appreciate that's an awful lot of talk. But she suffers chronic health issues. And two things I want to bring up on this. One is the inability of our health system to provide a medical card continuously to somebody who is a survivor of cancer. She used to have to fight every year to get her medical card. She now has, she has horrendous health issues. And when I talk about those every time she has to go to a hospital, she has to go into an A&E and she has to sit there with people who are drunk, people who are drug addicts and the same applies to people with other sorts of illnesses. She has to go through that. But the other thing is one or two of her supervisors have asked her how many times do you think you'll be out sick next year. How bloody heartless is that? So when we hear of cancer, always remember it's the entire family suffer and the individual that survives, survives but is left with chronic issues for the rest of their lives. So let's look after Daffodil Day, thank you.