Mother-of-three died without her children at her side and far from home after being forced to travel to London for cancer treatment
Catherine Sherry, 42, died earlier this year after repeated flights from her home in Co Armagh, Northern Ireland, left her weakened and unable to fight an infection.
She died 'far from home and far from her children' at King's College Hospital - despite treatment for her lymphoma being available in Dublin an hour from her house.
Her grieving husband Fergal Sherry said Catherine had 'used all her reserves of energy and strength to travel'.
The primary school teacher was diagnosed in September 2024 but she couldn't have the CAR-T cell treatment across the border at nearby St James's Hospital as it 'wasn't available for patients from Northern Ireland'.
But the travelling took its toll on her body and she died in May this year with her husband saying she heartbreakingly told him: 'No mammy should have to be away from their children.'
The therapy is currently available in England, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland, but not in Northern Ireland.
Mr Sherry said his wife would have been treated sooner if they were allowed to go to Dublin, but said there wasn't 'an all-island approach'.
She died 'far from home and far from her children' at King's College Hospital - despite treatment for her lymphoma being available in Dublin an hour from her home
'When you are going through cancer treatment you want your family near,' he told the BBC in June.
He stayed by his wife's side when she made the journey to London where they would chat to their children on the phone and play music.
This week, councillors at Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said it was a 'political failure'.
Cllr Killian Feehan brought forward a motion calling for people from Northern Ireland to be able to access the treatment in Dublin.
In an impassioned speech, the Belfast Telegraph reported him as saying: 'Let me put it plainly, no mother should have to leave her children behind to fight for her life in another country.
'No family should get a call saying she is going to die when the system itself has failed to give her the best fighting chance close to home.'
The Department for Health told the BBC in June that the treatments were available 'on an equitable basis for people from Northern Ireland'.
'The process involves the local clinician making a referral, which is then considered by a national panel of experts who assess which patients are eligible,' a spokesperson said.
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