[5] In 2011, Phelan underwent testing for cervical cancer as part of the CervicalCheck programme and was given the all clear.
[7] Phelan also refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of this, which led to the discovery that hundreds of women could have benefitted from earlier treatment.
[9] She and Stephen Teap,[10] a fellow campaigner, founded the 221+ CervicalCheck patient group for women who had also received negative tests but were later diagnosed with cancer.
[13] In February 2022, Phelan was awarded the Freedom of Limerick in recognition of her role in the CervicalCheck campaign.
[6][12][16] She died at Milford Hospice in County Limerick in the early hours of 14 November 2022, surrounded by her family.
In a statement, President Michael D. Higgins commended "the powerful inner strength and dignity with which she not only faced her own illness, but with the sense of commitment to the public good and the rights of others with which she campaigned".