Latest news with #Herlihy
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Call for publicly funded medication for breast cancer survivors who cannot take HRT
Breast cancer survivors who cannot take HRT should have some post-cancer medicines funded instead as they are 'invisible' in the menopause debate, one Cork survivor has urged. Some cancer treatments can push women of any age into medical menopause. Symptoms are usually harsher and longer lasting than for natural menopause, according to the HSE. Marguerite Herlihy was just 40 when she was diagnosed last year. She praised Cork University Hospital for her successful initial treatment. However she has oestrogen-positive cancer meaning it can be stimulated by hormones. This is why taking HRT is ruled out. 'You gear yourself up for the chemo and you gear yourself up for the radiotherapy and all of that, but there is no such thing as being finished then,' she said. 'The hormone-blockers I am now taking are part of the cancer treatment. In fact my oncologist told me the hormone-blockers are probably more important for me and more effective than the chemo.' The blockers prevent oestrogen from bringing back cancer for the mother of three. She said: But I went into menopause immediately like I fell off a cliff. 'So I've another 12 years of a lack of oestrogen (before my natural menopause starts).' She stressed: 'I'm so happy for other women to get free HRT lately, but while women are getting that I am paying the €80 a month to block my oestrogen under the Drugs Payment Scheme. 'So over the next 10 years that is going to mount up, it will be thousands I could invest in my kids. I do think with the HRT we're invisible in the debate about free HRT.' Ms Herlihy, a secondary-school teacher who lives in Aherla, said: 'I would love for the Government to offset the €80 a month for me like they are doing for the women getting HRT.' She feels health services generally are good, but said: 'Going forward I am paying to block my oestrogen when the government are paying to give women extra free oestrogen.' She was also 'devastated' to miss out on an international clinical trial for an advanced breast cancer drug. 'It was like a shining beacon for me,' she said. 'I missed out on it by a couple of weeks because cancer trials are too slow coming in Ireland. I missed out because of the red-tape, the legal work or the GDPR was taking too long to navigate. I was on my hormone blockers for too long by the time they were ready.' Marguerite Herlihy: 'I'm so happy for other women to get free HRT lately, but while women are getting that I am paying the €80 a month to block my oestrogen under the Drugs Payment Scheme.' Picture: Dan Linehan About 3,600 women in Ireland are diagnosed with breast cancer annually. The Irish Cancer Society said figures are not available for how many are affected by medical menopause. 'This affects a large amount of our patients,' a spokeswoman said. 'I think that the unmet need speaks for itself, given that we have no statistics as to how many women this can affect.' The society has published a free booklet with University College Cork containing targeted advice on nutrition for women in Ms Herlihy's position. She described food as a minefield with many things to avoid, saying: 'This is probably the first book that specifies anything for us.'
Irish Examiner
23-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Canadian prime minister's grandfather was one of the first men to join gardaí
One of the country's leading historians and genealogists has discovered the new Canadian prime minister's grandfather was one of the first men to join the Garda force when it was established in 1922. Jim Herlihy, a former garda who has written many groundbreaking books on that force and its predecessor the RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary), said his research shows Canadian PM Mark Carney's grandfather, Robert, was born in Aille, Aughagower, Co Mayo on June 12, 1902, and that had joined the Garda at the age of 19. 'He was the 87th man to join the then 'civic guards' when he signed on in February 1922,' Mr Herlihy said. Robert was the son of Patrick Carney (1859-1938) and Bridget Moran (1856-1911) who lived in Aughagower. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Mayo connections are extremely solid. File photo: Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press via AP 'Robert emigrated from Belfast to Quebec, Canada on the Canadian Pacific ship 'Montnairn' (Ticket no.16356) on July 18, 1925,' Mr Herlihy said. HISTORY HUB If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE and happy reading Robert married firstly Eleanor Moran (1894-1961) from Mace, Westport, Co Mayo on April 28, 1926, in Vancouver. His second marriage was to Edith Palfreyman (1906-1984) also in Vancouver. She was also from Westport. Mr Herlihy's research shows Robert was listed as a 'Steam Railway Policeman' in Vancouver 1931 Census and he then went on to join the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, more famously known as 'The Mounties'. Robert Carney's name at the bottom of the passenger list for the Canadian Pacific ship 'Montnairn' (Ticket no.16356) on July 18, 1925. 'Robert died on December 4, 1977 in Vancouver and is buried in the city's Saint Peter's Roman Catholic Cemetery and his son, Robert James Martin Carney, (Nov 3, 1933 – Dec 9, 2009) was Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's father,' Mr Herlihy added. Mr Herlihy revealed some years ago who instigated the infamous 1920 'Burning of Cork' which at the time is estimated to have caused £2m worth of damage and put 2,000 people out of jobs. He reviewed letters written by British cadet officer Charlie Schulze, in which he confirmed that he had led his colleagues in K Company to set fire to buildings in retaliation for an earlier IRA ambush on 20 British Auxiliaries at Dillon's Cross. Ironically, Schulze's father had fought for the Germans against the British in the First World War. Garda Robert Carney's grave. Mark Carney's Mayo connections are extremely solid and he's the first cousin of Pat Carney, father of Tom Carney, who operates Carney's Quarry in Aughagower. Mr Carney has never visited Aghagower, although his father did around 40 years ago. But it's hoped that the new Canadian PM will make an official visit there in due course. A number of previous American presidents with Irish roots have 'come home' to see their ancestral past. They include John F Kennedy (1963 to ancestral home in New Ross, Co Wexford); Richard Nixon (1970 to Timahoe, Co Laois); Ronald Reagan (1984 to Ballyporeen, Co Tipperary); Barack Obama (2011 to Moneygall, Co Offaly) and most recently Joe Biden (April 2023 who has relatives, the Blewitts from Co Mayo and Finnegans from Co Louth). It is yet unclear if Mr Carney will attend the 40th anniversary of the Air India disaster which claimed the lives of all 329 passengers and crew onboard when a bomb exploded on the aircraft off the Cork coast. However, he is expected to be invited to the special commemoration by Irish authorities which will take place on June 23 at a memorial listing all the dead at Ahakista, which is the nearest point in West Cork to the crash site. The Boeing 747 was blown up by Sikh separatists as it was travelling from Canada to Delhi, India. In 2005, then Canadian prime minister Paul Martin attended the annual memorial service in Ahakista. The same day, his country declared June 23 would be recoginised as Canada's National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. Read More Clodagh Finn: Lessons in the extraordinary power of forgiveness
Daily Mail
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Former child star Sophie Nyweide 'never gave up' amid battle with drug addiction prior to shock death at 24
Former child star Sophie Nyweide struggled with drug addiction but 'had hope' prior to her shock death at 24. The Mammoth actress — who was pregnant when she died on April 14 — was remembered by her longtime friend and ex-girlfriend Eden Herlihy in a new interview with TMZ. Herlihy said Nyweide — who was found lifeless on a riverbank in Vermont — 'never gave up' and even tried to help other fellow addicts. 'She had hope… I've lost a lot of people to addiction sadly,' Herlihy said, adding, 'Me and Sophie lost a lot of friends to this disease over the past couple of years. We knew the severity of it.' 'She was the last person I was expecting to die from this disease because she was so strong,' Herlihy added. While her cause of death is still unconfirmed, Sophie's mom, Shelly Gibson, 63, previously told that she suspected an accidental drug overdose. The Mammoth actress — who was pregnant when she died on April 14 — was remembered by Herlihy in a new interview with TMZ; seen in 2007 at Bella premiere in NYC 'No one is ever the right person to go. No one is meant to go from this disease, at least in my opinion. But I never thought it would be her because we fought so hard to survive the stuff we've gone through in our lives,' she said. Herlihy recounted meeting Nyweide at Elevations, a Utah residential treatment center for adolescents aged 13-18 dealing with anxiety, depression, bullying, and other challenges. Having known each other for a while, Herlihy shared that she and Nyweide supported each other through their own addiction struggles. Herlihy said she witnessed Nyweide 'using' drugs and admitted to using with her. Herlihy also remembered Nyweide's warm and welcoming nature towards others. 'She didn't judge anybody, she wasn't like the regular girls of our age group that [were] judging each other,' she recalled. 'She was kind off the bat. [She] wasn't talking bad about anybody. She just wanted everybody to feel safe and cared for.' Herlihy also got emotional while talking about the fact that Nyweide was pregnant at the time of her death, saying it was like a 'knife in my heart.' 'She always wanted to be a mother,' she told TMZ, adding, 'She loved my daughter. She was amazing around my daughter.' 'She never really got the chance to like get her life together to be given the opportunity to like have the life that she wanted.' Herlihy added that while she didn't know if Nyweide would have 'kept the child', it was 'her goal at one point in her life' to become a mom. It is yet to be confirmed how long she'd been carrying the baby. Nyweide's mom previously told 'I am aware she was using drugs. She had been for quite a while.' 'We had put her in many treatment centers. We don't have the toxicology reports back yet.' The actress, who appeared in seven movies before turning 10, passed away on April 14 as confirmed by her family in an online obituary. Police have also revealed that a man was with the former actress when she died. He has been 'cooperating with the investigation' but has not been declared a person of interest in the case. Sophie is best known for portraying Michelle Williams' on-screen daughter in the 2009 film Mammoth. 'Sophie was a kind and trusting girl. Often this left her open to being taken advantage of by others. She wrote and drew voraciously, and much of this art depicts the depth she had, and it also represents the pain she suffered,' her loved ones wrote. They continued: 'Many of her writings and artwork are roadmaps of her struggles and traumas. Even with those roadmaps, diagnoses and her own revelations, those closest to her, plus therapists, law enforcement officers and others who tried to help her, are heartbroken their efforts couldn't save her from her fate.' Her loved ones went on to reveal that Nyweide 'self-medicated to deal with all the trauma and shame she held inside' and that 'resulted in her death.' 'She repeatedly said she would "handle it" on her own and was compelled to reject the treatment that might possibly have saved her life,' they detailed. In lieu of gifts or flowers, her family requested fans make a donation to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) in Nyweide's name. RAINN is the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. The young star's obituary highlighted her lifelong passion for acting, which her family said she 'dreamed (more like demanded) to do from a young age, 'without ever knowing her mother was an actor.' 'She seemed happiest on a movie set, becoming someone else. It was a safe place for her and she relish from the casts and crews who nourished her talent and her well being,' her loved ones explained. Nyweide booked her first acting gig in the 2006 movie, Bella, and proceeded to get a parts in episodes of Law & Order, And Then Came Love, Margot at the Wedding and New York City Serenade. Her other credits include Shadows & Lies, Mistakes Were Made, Born Again and What Would You Do. Following her performance in an An Invisible Sign (2010), alongside Jessica Alba, film critic, Jeannette Catsoulis, predicted Nyweide 'should have a glowing future.' Nyweide was born in Burlington, Vermont on July 8, 2000. Her mom Shelly is known for her roles in Dust to Malibu, St. Elsewhere (1982) and All My Children (1970). In a 2010 interview, Gibson recalled her daughter's love for film coming from watching movies at the Village Picture Shows Cinema in Manchester and watching Nancy Meyers' Something's Gotta Give, at age four. 'She grew up in this movie theater and slept in the movie theater and had a little bed in the projection booth and watched many movies,' Gibson said. Gibson recently shared a beautiful photo of her daughter, alongside a heartfelt tribute. 'RIP, my Sophie. She graced us for far too short a time. My daughter was a light for all who met her. For those us of who were truly close with Sophie, we are gutted and will need a long time to get over her passing. I know I never will. God I love my daughter. I want her back. Fly high sweetheart - you always could,' she wrote. Underneath Gibson's post, fans left condolence messages and offered their support. 'Shelly. No words. I am devastatingly sorry for your loss. Much much much love,' one wrote. Another commented: 'Holding you in my thoughts, you've been on my mind all week. I can't imagine. Sending you as much peace now as I can and even more moving forward.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Baby infected with measles in Denver, marking second case in Colorado
DENVER (KDVR) — An unvaccinated infant under a year old living in Denver County has been infected with measles, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment reported Monday. CDPHE, Denver Health and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment all confirmed the case. The agencies noted that infants normally get their routine dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine at 12 to 15 months. Measles case confirmed in Colorado resident who recently traveled internationally The agencies reported that the infant had recently traveled with family to an area of Chihuahua, Mexico, where there is an ongoing measles outbreak. The agencies said that current evidence does not show the case is linked to Colorado's other known measles case, which was reported in an adult resident of Pueblo who also had traveled to Mexico. 'Infants under 12 months are especially vulnerable to measles because they are typically too young to be vaccinated. This case is a stark reminder that families traveling internationally should delay unnecessary travel or talk to their health care providers about early MMR vaccination for infants, especially when visiting areas with known measles outbreaks,' said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, state epidemiologist and deputy chief medical officer at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, in the announcement of the infant's infection. 'We're incredibly grateful to our partners at Denver Health and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment for their swift action, expertise, and collaboration in identifying this case and protecting the broader community,' Herlihy added. The agencies said that anyone who was at the Denver Health emergency department on Bannock Street in Pavilion A on Sunday, April 6 from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., should monitor for symptoms for the next 21 days. CDPHE said measles symptoms typically take seven to 21 days to develop and include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a characteristic rash that usually starts several days later on the face and spreads. FOX31 Newsletters: Sign up to get breaking news sent to your inbox In February, a Texas child, who was unvaccinated, died of measles, which health officials said was the first death from the illness in about a decade. CDPHE told FOX31 in February that the last confirmed case of measles in the state was reported in December 2023, and that most of the time, measles cases occur in Colorado after travel or in under-vaccinated 93.7% of Colorado children have the MMR vaccination, which protects against measles, mumps, rubella and varicella. That's below the goal threshold of 95% for community immunity. Two doses of the MMR vaccination are about 97% effective in preventing measles, CDPHE said. The agency also urged families traveling internationally with children too young to be vaccinated to reconsider travel to areas with ongoing measles outbreaks. If the travel cannot be avoided, infants between 6 and 11 months old should receive an early dose of the vaccine before traveling to outbreak areas. 'The MMR vaccine has been available for decades,' CDPHE said. Coloradans can check their own or their child's immunization records through the state's Immunization Information System public portal. If your provider has not reported vaccines, some records may be incomplete. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Independent
12-03-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Alzheimer's Association pairs up with New Mexico in US pilot program to raise awareness
New Mexico has paired up with the Alzheimer 's Association in a pilot U.S. initiative aimed at raising awareness about a disease that affects several million people across the nation, including family members and friends who often provide countless hours of unpaid care. The joint campaign — a year in the making — features billboards, digital ads and social media posts. It was unveiled Wednesday, days after authorities confirmed that actor Gene Hackman died at his Santa Fe home of heart disease with complications from Alzheimer's disease. Hackman, like the majority of people with Alzheimer's and related dementias, lived at home. His wife, Betsy Arakawa, was his caregiver but died from hantavirus, a rare, rodent-born disease. Experts believe Hackman, in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's, was unable to seek help. The goal of the new partnership between the state and the Alzheimer's Association is to spark conversations within families and to educate the public on warning signs and treatments. It also aims to publicize support services for family members and other caregivers. 'That's kind of the whole point of the campaign — to start talking, to start thinking, to take some action,' said Joey Long, a spokesperson with the state Aging and Long-Term Services Department. 'So it's like, maybe they've been confused. Well, let's talk about what that means.' According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 7 million people are living with the disease in the U.S., where Alzheimer's is the seventh-leading cause of death. In New Mexico, estimates put the number of people with the disease at 46,000 people, with another 67,000 family members providing care at home within the last year. Alzheimer's kills more people in the U.S. than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, according to statistics shared by the Alzheimer's Association, which is helping to fund research projects in dozens of countries around the world. One of the challenges is that only about half of the people who are living with the disease are ever diagnosed, said Jim Herlihy, a spokesperson for the association's Rocky Mountain region. The number of undiagnosed people is higher in communities of color, he said. Neurologists say it can take 20 years from the start of the disease taking shape in the brain to when it becomes recognizable and diagnosed, what Herlihy describes as a glacial pace. 'People think of this as either an old person's disease or something that happens to somebody else,' Herlihy said. 'And unless it's happened in your family and you have seen a loved one decline from this disease, or you have been put into the role of being a caregiver, you don't realize the impact that this has.' The nonprofit association published a special report last year detailing the importance of families mapping out a plan for care, acknowledging that it can be a complex maze involving social services, medications and specialists. The billboards and ads are simple. One of them pictures a caution sign in the road that reads: 'Honey, you've been confused.' The messages urge people to talk about it and to visit a website that includes a hotline for those who don't know where to start. A significant percentage of New Mexico's population is aging, which has spurred officials to find ways to educate and prepare state residents. In addition to the awareness campaign, the state is planning a series of community forums on the subject this spring in rural areas with high rates of the disease. The Alzheimer's Association is hoping the campaign will expand to other states.
