As a wife, mother and carer, Eileen Kenny’s death from cancer in December 2016 had a devastating impact on her family and friends.

Eileen was just 61 years old and had always led an active and health conscious life, regularly playing tennis well into her 50s.

Life had not been easy at times for the Kenny family, particularly after their daughter Louise became ill, and would require life-long care.

The impact of Eileen’s loss was felt very heavily by her husband Jim and both her daughters, but their loss was all the more magnified because right up until the weeks before she died, Eileen was still searching for answers and accountability in relation to aspects of her cancer treatment.

Her questions began when she discovered, in quite shocking circumstances, that her cancer had returned, and that her recurrence could have been picked up a lot sooner, had best practice and international guidelines been followed during her care.

Could Eileen have survived longer had things been done differently?

Her family say they still cannot grieve properly until they get the answers they're looking for.

Having already gone through a lengthy court process, which resulted in a financial pay-out and an apology, Eileen’s family put their faith in the Irish Medical Council, who are tasked with protecting the public by holding doctors and their practices to account. But who holds the Irish Medical Council to account and did the family get a fair hearing?

Two years on from Eileen’s death and her family, especially her husband Jim, remain in dogged pursuit of truth and accountability. They want to ensure no family will have to endure the frustrations and dissatisfaction they say has resulted from their experiences.

Narrated by Cathy Belton.

Produced by Brian O'Connell, Donal O'Herlihy and Liam O'Brien

RTÉ Radio 1, Saturday 05th October, 2019 @2pm 

RTÉ Radio 1 Sunday 06th October, 2019 @7pm

An Irish radio documentary from RTÉ Radio 1, Ireland - Documentary on One - the home of Irish radio documentaries.