Sunday Times Memoir of the Year 2019
An Post Irish Book of the Year 2019

When Vicky Phelan 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. It would emerge that, like Vicky, 220 other women who were diagnosed with cervical cancer were not informed that a clinical audit -carried out by the national screen programme CervicalCheck - had revised their earlier, negative smear tests. Their cancers could possibly have been preventable.
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.

'Calls to mind the work of Emilie Pine, or the memoir by Maggie O'Farrell, I Am, I Am, I Am ... Overcoming is more than the retelling of an extraordinary life. Its pacing and gentleness leaves plenty of room for tears and for reflection' Irish Independent

'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.' Vicky Phelan

About the Author

Vicky Phelan was an Irish healthcare campaigner and mother of two. She became a household name in Ireland after her court action against the HSE in 2018, which broke the CervicalCheck cancer scandal, where 221 known sufferers, including herself, were not told of a clinical audit that had revised earlier test results: their cancers could possibly have been prevented. In the years to follow, she was involved in powerful public advocacy, to ensure that standards and accountability were brought to bear within the Irish health service so that what happened to her and others could not happen again.
Overcoming: A Memoir won the An Post Book of the Year Award in 2019.
Vicky passed away in November 2022 at the age of forty-eight.

Reviews
Calls to mind the work of Emilie Pine, or the memoir by Maggie O'Farrell, I Am, I Am, I Am ... Overcoming is more than the retelling of an extraordinary life. Its pacing and gentleness leaves plenty of room for tears and for reflection - Irish Independent

Powerful ... compelling - Image

Refreshingly honest ... Overcoming gives an incisive account of one of the country's biggest healthcare scandals from the perspective of a woman who refused to be silenced, took on the system, uncovered that scandal, and did women in this State a huge service. It also offers an insight into the strength of character, resilience, determination and courage of a woman who has been faced with and has overcome many other major challenges in her life - Irish Examiner

*Memoir of the Year 2019* Overcoming clips along with the lithe and engaging pace of a chat with a close friend, and has the drama of a domestic page-turner. Phelan has written her name into history as an activist for Irish women - Sunday Times



Book Information
ISBN 9781529318715
Author Vicky Phelan
Format Paperback
Page Count 480
Imprint Hachette Books Ireland
Publisher Hachette Books Ireland
Weight(grams) 360g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 130mm * 34mm