Ballyfermot Mother receives apology over alleged delayed cancer diagnosis

A Ballyfermot mother has received an apology from St James’s Hospital after she brought them to court over an alleged delayed breast cancer diagnosis.

Seanagh Rice, a 33-year-old mother of two, was told she had invasive breast cancer and had to have a mastectomy when she was seven months’ pregnant.

St James’s Hospital apologised for the failings after she claimed that the hospital did not arrange or carry out an ultrasound or biopsy following the identification of an abnormality measuring over 3cm.

Ms Rice was recommended to undergo both by hospital staff in April 2023 following a routine breast MRI during which the abnormality was discovered.

It was not until 2024, when she attended her next review at the hospital, that she was sent for an urgent mammogram and ultrasound, during which the presence of an invasive cancer was revealed.

Her counsel, Michael Delaney SC, instructed by Cian O’Carroll Solicitors, told the court it was their case that there had been an eight-month delay in the diagnosis of the cancer.

Ms Rice, whose mother died of breast cancer aged 48, had the breast cancer BRCA 2 gene variant, and had been attending St James’s Hospital.

While 31 weeks’ pregnant, Ms Rice had a left-breast mastectomy and reconstruction followed by chemotherapy after the birth of her baby.

Speaking outside the Four Courts, Ms Rice said that a time that should have been “one of the happiest” became one of “enormous fear and uncertainty.”

“Instead of enjoying those precious months with my newborn baby, I was undergoing chemotherapy and cancer treatment that should never have been necessary.

“The physical and emotional consequences have been overwhelming.

“While I welcome the admission of liability from St James’s Hospital and its apology, no settlement can ever give me back what I have lost” she said.

The letter of apology from St James’s Hospital CEO, Mary Day, was read to the court as Ms Rice settled an action against the hospital.

“On behalf of Saint James’s Hospital, I wish to apologise for the failings in the care provided to you following the results of your MRI performed in April 2023.

“We recognise that having to receive and cope with this news during your second pregnancy would have made an already difficult situation even more challenging.

“We acknowledge that your experience fell below the standard of care that we strive to uphold, and we are sorry for the distress this caused to you and your family.

“Please accept my sincere apologies for the impact these events had on you and your family.”

Outside court, Ms Rice hoped that following her experience, “no other woman or young mother would have to endure the same experience because an important medical finding was simply not followed up”.

“Having lost my mother to breast cancer and knowing I had the breast cancer gene, I knew only too well the risks I faced.

Ms Rice went on to say she did everything she was supposed to do by attending regular screenings, for the sake of protecting herself and being present for her family.

“To discover that an abnormality on my MRI had been identified but not actioned for nine months has been devastating.”

In the proceedings it was claimed there was a failure to take adequate measures to protect Ms Rice from the risk of developing breast cancer and her cancer was allowed to develop and spread unidentified, unmonitored and untreated until she was diagnosed in January 2024.

Ms Rice’s cancer, it was claimed, was allowed to grow and become microinvasive, and she required more extensive treatment than she would otherwise have required.

Had the cancer been identified and a diagnosis given in a timely manner, it was claimed that chemotherapy would not have been necessary. The hospital admitted liability in the case.

Noting the settlement, Mr Justice Paul Coffey said he was delighted to see the case had been resolved to Ms Rice’s satisfaction.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme