HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccine advocate Laura Brennan was only 26 years old when she died of cervical cancer, as a result of the vaccine not being available in her secondary school.
Laura’s documentary with RTÉ, which aired on Monday the September 16th, chronicled Laura’s life in the weeks and months leading to her death.
“I am the reality of an unvaccinated girl. What kills me though is that all of this could have been prevented,” she said.
In August 2017, Laura was diagnosed with terminal cancer. At the time of Laura’s diagnosis, only 51 per cent of young women were availing of the vaccine, according to the documentary.
Throughout the documentary are home clips from Laura’s childhood, which exacerbate the tragedy of Laura’s death.
Laura’s family and friends, particularly her mother and father, feature heavily in the documentary.
“I could go on for ages naming what I love about life. My family, getting to spend time with them, the laugh my friends bring to my life.”
The documentary illustrates the close bond Laura had with her parents, Bernie and Larry. In one scene, Laura and her father sit side by side at the kitchen table, reading her old school reports that described her as a rebellious teenager. She hugs him as she speaks of their relationship, and he gets upset, covering his face with his hand.
The piece showcases both the light and the dark moments in Laura’s final months and weeks. In another scene, she professes her love for actor Hugh Jackman as she sings along to This Is Me in the car.
“People have said horrendous things about me for having such a strong voice. I believe I was born to be outspoken.”
Laura had tickets to see Hugh live in May in the 3Arena, but she died two months before the concert took place.
Laura said her parents didn’t have the choice to give her the vaccine, so she wanted other parents to make the choice that could save their child’s life.
“I would like the vaccine rate to be a hundred per cent, that’s the legacy I want to leave behind.”
HPV is a very common sexually transmitted infection. According to the HSE, 80 per cent of people contract the virus in their lifetime. In many cases, treatment isn’t needed. However, in some women, HPV causes changes in the cervix which can cause cervical cancer.
In Ireland, the HPV vaccine has been given to girls in their first year of secondary school since 2010.
According to a report by the HSE, 64.1 per cent of secondary school aged girls received at least stage two of the vaccine in 2017/2018, compared to 51 per cent in 2016/2017.
The World Health Organisation says cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women. Every year in Ireland, 300 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer, according to the HSE.
The National Cervical Screening Programme offers free cervical screening to women aged between 25 and 60. A cervical screening test, previously called a smear test, can detect abnormal cells in the cervix that could develop into cancer over time.
Last year, CervicalCheck came under intense scrutiny in one of the biggest health scandals Ireland has seen after it emerged that hundreds of women had been given false negative cervical screening tests. However, it’s highly important that women attend the screenings in order to prevent cervical cancer.
From this month, boys will also receive the HPV vaccine to protect against cancers and genital warts.