A TODDLER who is battling a brain tumour has been stripped of her medical card, and her parents were not informed by the HSE that it had been cancelled.

Carly Keogh said that her little daughter Aoife, pictured left, was diagnosed with a brain tumour last May, and they had been issued a medical card to assist with her treatment a short time later.

She said she was relieved that her three-year-old had received the card for two years to cover the duration of her treatment as the application process is "stressful".

"We were awarded the card for two years because her chemotherapy will go to 2015. But six months later I received a review form for it, and it was a bit odd," Carly explained.

"They had all of our details and the back-up documentation, so I wrote them a letter in December to explain that and told them that it was quite stressful at the moment, and that I could apply again if they really needed it. In January we received a letter to say that we had it up until June 2015."

However, she was left confused in April when she was informed by her pharmacist that the card was no longer valid. The mother of three said that the card was "stopped without warning".

"When I rang them they had no record of sending me the letter in January," she added.

She had not sent them back the review forms, which had been due by March, because of their letter in January.

The Blessington, Co Wicklow resident said the application process is "quite time consuming" and "stressful".

"I sent back the forms two weeks ago and I am still waiting to hear back," she added.

The HSE did not reply to contact made by the Irish Independent at the time of publication. Emma Jane Hade

Irish Independent