Member's statement: Catherine Sherry: Lymphoma Awareness Day
Member's statement by Mr Justin McNulty on .
- MLA
- Mr Justin McNulty
- Party at the time
- Social Democratic and Labour Party
- Date
- 15 September 2025
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Catherine Sherry: Lymphoma Awareness Day
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5099158
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Today, on Lymphoma Awareness Day, I will speak about a young mother from my constituency Catherine Sherry, whose story must compel the Executive parties to act. Catherine was undergoing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy in London when she tragically passed away in May.
The treatment was working, but her immune system was severely compromised, and the repeated air travel left her too weak to fight off a final infection. Catherine died far from home and far from her three young, heartbroken boys: Manus, Tomás and Donal. Here is the devastating truth: life-saving treatment is available just 60 miles away in Dublin at St James's Hospital, but Catherine could not access it because no agreement exists to allow patients in the North of Ireland to receive the specialist treatment in the South. I have raised that directly with the Health Minister, and I have urged the Department of Health to act, but, so far, they have shown reluctance to explore or facilitate access to CAR T-cell therapy in the Republic. It is not a question of resources or a question of medical capacity or capability; it is a question of political will. We are now being told that the CAR T-cell therapy centre in Belfast may not be operational until 2030 and only after accreditation. That is at least another five years of patients being flown to London or Manchester, when a short drive to Dublin could spare them and their families an enormous physical and emotional toll. There is already a shared all-island commitment to cooperation on cancer care. That commitment must mean something. It cannot be allowed to gather dust while patients suffer and families grieve. Catherine's story is not just a tragedy; it is a call to action. Her treatment was working. Her battle and her bravery were heroic, but the journey — the unnecessary travel — ultimately cost her her life. No mother should have to leave her children behind in order to fight for survival in another country. No family should ever again be told, "We did all that we could", when we know that the system did not. The infrastructure exists, and the expertise exists, but the barrier is political will. I have organised a round-table discussion next Monday in Stormont with representatives from Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI, Blood Cancer UK, leading clinicians and families of those who have been impacted on by the inaccessibility of CAR T-cell treatment close to home. It is an issue that impacts on people and families across the North. Therefore, it requires a collective response and a joined-up effort from all Executive parties. If any Member wishes to join that discussion or to support the SDLP's campaign to right that wrong, please reach out to me directly. On Lymphoma Awareness Day, let us say clearly that people in the North deserve access to life-saving cancer treatment on this island, and they deserve it now. My heart goes out to Catherine's family — her husband, Fergal; her sons, Manus, Tomás and Donal; her parents, Roisin and Phil; and her colleagues, her club and her community.
I measc na naomh go raibh sí.
523 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.06 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.94).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.06 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.04 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.94 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.06 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 0.44 |
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.26 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.18 |
| Constitutional question, Brexit, the Windsor Framework and sovereignty | 0.06 |
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.02 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:07 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
Disagree with this assessment?
Classifications can be challenged. A person reads every challenge, and any change is recorded publicly above with its reason.