Kilkenny woman, 26, who fought for access to Pembro drug dies of cervical cancer

Kilkenny woman Alice Taylor has died following a battle with cervical cancer.

Ms Taylor, 26, passed away surrounded her parents Martin and Wendy, brothers James and William, her partner David at St Anne’s Ward in St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin on Friday. The disease had spread to her heart, lungs and liver. Alice and her friends and family had been campaigning to get her access to the Pembro drug used in immunotherapy to help fight cancer. It was announced this week that Pembro would be made available to all women with cervical cancer in Ireland. Up to now, the 221 women who were affected by the Cervical Check controversy were only able to access the drug but other women suffering from the disease were prevented from doing so. Vicky Phelan, who was among those campaigning for access to Pembro for all, said on Twitter that Alice was 'too young to die'. [caption id="attachment_447024" align="alignnone" width="562"] Vicky Phelan[/caption] "Reading about Alice's death has floored me. I had met her and her Mum, Wendy at St. Vincent's Hospital where Alice moved for treatment to get on Pembro, which she had started. "It was obviously too late for her. She was far too young to die." A funeral mass will take place on Wednesday at St Brigid’s Church in Ballycallan, Kilkenny.