RIP ALICE
Young Kilkenny woman, 26, tragically dies of cervical cancer after diagnosis was delayed until she was old enough for smear test
Alice Taylor lost her battle with cervical cancer on Friday in St Vincent's Hospital, Dublin
Nicola Bardon
Updated: 27 Jan 2019, 16:21
A YOUNG Kilkenny woman whose cancer diagnosis was delayed until she was old enough for a smear test has passed away.
Alice Taylor, 26, lost her battle with cervical cancer on Friday in St Anne's Ward in St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin.
Alice pictured with her boyfriend Dave
She had been fighting the disease since 2017.
The only symptom she had was a lack of periods and a lot of irregular bleeding.
But she told the Irish Sun last year that doctors told her in June she had to wait for her next birthday in September to get a smear test.
Currently, you have to be 25 to get the exam done in Ireland.
Alice will be laid to rest on Wednesday
But there was a problem when Alice finally got the test, telling us: "My doctor couldn't get a proper smear test as I had bleeding at the time when she tried to take them.
"So on the third attempt, she wasn't happy to let me wait any longer and sent me straight over to St Luke's A&E in Kilkenny to see a specialist gynecologist and for a scan.
"Within hours I had an internal ultrasound test as the gynecologist thought something wasn't right — it looked like it was bleeding from the cervix."
Alice spent a week in hospital undergoing tests, CT scans and biopsies before an MRI confirmed she had a 7cm tumor on her cervix.
It later spread to her lungs, liver, and heart.
And doctors had to take an egg retrieval before she started her treatment after being told she wouldn't be able to have kids, which she said was "worse than the news of cancer."
The young Kilkenny woman had a long battle with cancer
She had to leave her job as a social worker at the SOS Centre in Kilkenny where she worked with adults with disabilities and move to Dublin for treatment.
Heartbreakingly, she told the Irish Sun she felt well during her chemotherapy but was annoyed a diagnosis took so long.
"I had absolutely no idea that I had anything wrong with me especially not cancer - I felt so normal - I still feel so normal on most days!
"It's hard to accept that you have 'terminal' cancer when your mind and body feel so normal. I was slightly annoyed that it had gotten to this stage without being picked up before now but I suppose I had no symptoms and wasn't offered a smear test until it was too late."
Alice had just started a new immunotherapy drug Pembro last year and was waiting for the results to see if it was helping.
If not, she was planning to try a clinical trial in the US or UK.
She now leaves behind her longterm partner, Dave, parents Martin and Wendy and her brothers James and William.
Her funeral will be held on Wednesday at St Brigid's Church in Ballycallan.