A Mullaghbawn mum living with Stage 4 breast cancer has inspired a fresh call for urgent improvements to cancer support services across Northern Ireland.
Newry & Armagh MLA Aoife Finnegan said the experience of 38-year-old mother-of-two, Marianne Tiernan – who has spoken publicly about feeling abandoned and unheard after receiving her incurable, life-limiting diagnosis – has already had a “real impact” at Stormont.
Marianne, who had previously battled cancer, was told her illness had returned as Stage 4. Despite the devastating news, she chose to speak out so that “no other person would feel abandoned or unheard during the most difficult time of their life”.
Her story was raised in the Assembly chamber through a Member’s Statement by Ms Finnegan, who has also written directly to Health Minister Mike Nesbitt outlining the realities facing patients as they navigate cancer care.
The Sinn Féin MLA said cancer patients must be treated with “dignity, compassion and to be listened to from the very moment they receive a diagnosis”.
She highlighted particular concerns around access to counselling, fertility advice, cold cap treatment, wig support, PICC line covers and delays in referrals – all areas where patients such as Marianne have reported difficulties and inconsistencies in care.
“Too many patients are being left without adequate emotional support at diagnosis, facing inequalities in access to services and carrying additional financial burdens while undergoing treatment,” Ms Finnegan said.
“This is not about blaming frontline healthcare staff, who continue to provide extraordinary care under immense pressure. The issue is systemic.”
Ms Finnegan added that, in written correspondence, the Health Minister had acknowledged that inconsistencies exist across Trusts in relation to the support available to people living with cancer, including the fact that cold cap treatment is not currently commissioned within Health and Social Care in the North.
“While I welcome that engagement, acknowledgement alone is not enough. Patients and families now need to see action,” she said.
“No person battling cancer should feel unsupported, unheard, or forced to fight the very system meant to care for them.
“Marianne Tiernan has shown incredible strength and courage, not only for herself, but for every family who may one day face a similar diagnosis. Her voice matters, and cancer patients deserve a healthcare system that listens.”
