The family of CervicalCheck hero Emma Mhic Mhathuna paid emotional tributes to her on Saturday on the first anniversary of her death.
Her former partner said he and their children “will never forget her” as they laid a floral tribute at her favourite seaside spot in West Kerry.
“Emma we love you, we miss you, but we promise, we will never forget you” were the touching final words uttered by husband Colin and sons James, Mario and Donnchadh at the remembrance ceremony.
Brave Emma moved from Co Offaly to Ballydavid in West Kerry with her husband Colin and her five children in 2017.
The mother of five tragically passed away in October 2018 following a long battle with cervical cancer at the age of 37.
The spirited Kerry woman was a defiant voice in the wake of the CervicalCheck controversy.
Marking a year since she passed away husband Colin and her three sons walked to Ballydavid Pier to place flowers at what he described as “Emma’s favourite place in the world”.
He thanked people of West Kerry, as well as the schools and sports clubs “for being so kind and gentle in helping us through a very challenging year since Emma tragically passed away”.
“We would like to thank my family, in particular my mother and sisters, for their tremendous support over the past year.”
Mhathuna sued the HSE and a US laboratory used by CervicalCheck after she received incorrect smear test results before she was diagnosed with cancer.
She received a €7.5 million which she requested was used to take care of her children after her death.
Emma made countless media appearances despite battling an aggressive cancer and nearing the end of her life.
But she always made sure to shield her family from the limelight.
She had told Miriam O’Callaghan on her radio programme: “The €7.5 million doesn’t make any differences to me.
“I just went in there and I wasn’t taking any nonsense, because I just wanted my children taken care of.
“Like every mouth guard, every football adds up. It doesn’t sound a lot but when you divide it down to four boys and one girl it’s a lot.
The devoted mother regularly called on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the government to ensure that voices like hers were heard after the scandal was made public.
Following her untimely death a funeral mass was held for her in her local parish church in Ballydavid while a second funeral mass was held in Dublin’s pro-cathedral the following day.
More than 800 people attended.
After the mass, her funeral procession passed by Leinster House and the Department of Health before travelling through Phoenix Park and past Aras an Uachtarain before Emma was finally laid to rest at Laraghbryn Cemetery in Co Kildare.
