Ruth Morrissey ‘wise beyond her years’, funeral told

CervicalCheck campaigner Ruth Morrissey, who died last Sunday, was remembered at her funeral Mass as a “powerful woman” who “spoke truth” in the face of injustice in order to save others lives.

The 39-year old mother of one died at Milford Hospice, in her native Limerick, two years after she had given evidence in the High Court in an action against the HSE and two laboratories over the misreading of her cervical smear tests in 2009 and 2012.

A review of the tests carried out in 2014, under the CervicalCheck screening programme, showed the smear results had been incorrectly reported. Ms Morrissey was not informed of this until 2018.

Members of the 221+ Patient Support Group, including fellow campaigner Vicky Phelan and Lorraine Walsh, donned arm ribbons and performed a socially-distanced guard of honour as mourners applauded Ms Morrissey’s handmade wicker coffin, as it was shouldered into Mary Magdalene Church in Monaleen, Co Limerick, by her husband Paul and other five other family members.

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Mr Morrissey told the Mass he and his wife first met when they were teenagers, became “best friends” and carried on as “a team” devoted to one another and their daughter Libby (9).

“We did everything together, it was no secret in our relationship who was the boss - I was quite simply happy with the arrangement, it suited me, I knew she was always right,” he said.

“Not only was Ruth stunningly beautiful, with a smile that would light up any room that she walked into, she was so caring and loving. She was wise beyond her years, so intelligent, but she was also great fun, and people were drawn to her, I don’t know how I got so lucky when she agreed to become my wife,” he said.

“In 2011, we became a team of three when our amazing daughter Libby was born. Ruth was a natural mother, she adored Libby and Libby made Ruth so proud and happy. Everything we did was as a family, and spending time together was the most important thing to Ruth.

“Libby has inherited so many of Ruth’s qualities, they have a special bond. Libby made a card for her mam on Saturday and she signed it ‘Mini Ruth’ - that says it all.”

Mr Morrissey said he was in awe of how brave his wife was in her final years, in which she battled cancer, fought for justice, and campaigned for others.

“I always knew Ruth was a strong person, but the resilience and bravery she showed everyday, whether having treatment, going through the court case, or dealing with the pain, never ceased to amaze me.”

Choking back tears, Mr Morrissey concluded, to a standing ovation: “Libby and I are truly heartbroken and devastated and I don’t think we’ll ever recover from losing Ruth.”

Among mourners were aide-de-camps representing President Michael D Higgins, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar. Labour Party leader Alan Kelly was also present.

Chief celebrant Fr Noel Kirwan said Ms Morrissey spoke “truth” by “first of all thanking all those who supported her and helped her”, but then “reaching out to her fellow sufferers, those who have been struck by this terrible cancer, those who have experienced the injustice that came with that.

“She spoke to women who will walk into that cancer in the future, and like a mother she spoke to them with love, saying ‘come forward; go for that smear (test); listen to what your doctors are telling you; be led by them so that you might have life’ - this was her struggle, and this was her strength, and this was her love and her kindness.”

Fr Kirwan said Ms Morrissey “lived her truth, and the truth she spoke challenged all around her, not to put down, but to lift up; to do better; to want more; to give more for the sake of others; for others lives to be better; and that’s an amazing beautiful truth that she had within her”.