Galway University Hospital has apologised and has accepted there were failings in the care of a 49-year-old woman who died of breast cancer.
A letter from the hospital was read out in the High Court as the family of mother-of-three Lynn Rocke, who died on March 16th, 2020, of metastatic breast cancer, settled a High Court action over her death.
Outside court, her family said she was a devoted wife and mother, and they said their pain at her loss was indescribable.
“There is always somebody missing. A life that is gone forever, laughter that will never be heard again, a devoted mother and wife that will be forever missed,” her brother Michael Hogan said on behalf of Lynn’s grieving husband, Kieran Rocke, and their three children.
Lynn, he said, will always be in their hearts and thoughts.
The terms of the settlement of the action against the HSE is confidential, but the High Court heard that liability and causation were still at issue in the case.
The family’s counsel, Eugene Gleeson SC, told the court it was their case that there were alleged failings on a number of occasions to interpret tests going back to a mammogram Mrs Rocke had in 2010. Mrs Rocke had a history of breast cancer in her family and her mother had died of the disease in her 40s.
A letter from Galway University Hospital was read to the court which said it was "accepted that there were failings in the care provided" to Lynn Rocke by the hospital.
It added: “This is deeply regretted and we wish to extend our sincere apologies to you and your family and also to offer sincere condolences on the passing of Lynn.”
Lynn’s husband, Kieran Rocke, of Mountbellew, Ballinasloe, Co Galway, had sued the HSE.
It was claimed there was a failure to elicit an adequate family history of breast cancer and a failure to recognise the likely genetic predisposition of Mrs Rocke to having a familial form of breast malignancy.
It was further claimed there was a failure to monitor her clinical condition with a failure to follow up during 2015 and a failure to adequately or at all to assess her symptoms in light of her medical history and that of her family.
All the claims were denied.
Noting the settlement, Mr Justice Paul Coffey extended his deepest sympathy to Lynn’s husband and family.
Outside the Four Courts, her brother Michael Hogan, on behalf of Kieran Rocke and the extended family, said Lynn’s death has left a wound that will never heal.
“The family of Lynn stand before you today with heavy hearts grappling with profound loss of beloved wife and mother. The pain and grief are indescribable made even more poignant by the circumstances surrounding her untimely passing,” he said.
He said the core of the case revolved around alleged missed opportunities for early detection.
“Kieran hopes that in some way his wife's death was not in vain and truly hopes no other family would have to suffer as he and his children have,” he said.
He added: “For Kieran and my family Lynn will always be in their hearts and thoughts. Undoubtedly March is particularly difficult as it brings another anniversary of her passing.
“As Kieran and his family move forward their hope is that Lynn’s legacy becomes a catalyst for positive change within our healthcare system ensuring that no one else has to endure the pain that Kieran and his family is going through.”
