Marcella Doherty
Marcella Doherty was only 24 years old when she died of Arrhythmogenic
Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy or ARVC. Despite her untimely death being
as a result of this undiagnosed killer, Marcella had symptoms in the week
prior to her death. Sadly, diagnosis proved inadequate and Marcella was
unable to convince the medical establishment about the seriousness of her
illness in that difficult final week of her short
life. This is her story.
Marcella was born in May 1981, the youngest daughter of Peter and Brigid
Doherty of Bellaghy, County Derry, Northern Ireland. A loving and
infectious child, she brought great joy to not only her close family, but to
her large family circle - all could call her a real friend.
She attended St Mary's Primary School in the village before going to St
Patrick's college, Maghera. It was in secondary school that she first
developed her love of hair and beauty and instinctively knew that her future
career was in this field.
After her apprenticeship she opened her own salon on Main Street in Bellaghy
- a time in her life which brought with it great stress but ultimately the
freedom and delight of being her own boss. She
quickly established her reputation and built up a huge customer base -
attracted not only by her skills as a hairdresser but by the sheer
joy of her as a person. She had tremendous humour,
backed up by the most infectious laugh - and people
invariably sought her out because being with Marcella was always fun.
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Marcella aged one |
In early 2005, Marcella had talked to her mum about moving in to
larger premises and branching out into beauty therapy and had
already identified a suitable space in the village to pursue
this dream.
She talked excitedly about buying her dream car - a red Audi A4
- and was excitedly pursuing both ventures at the time of her
death.
On Saturday 17th September 2005, Marcella had agreed to attend
her cousin Siobhan's hen night in Newry city. Marcella
enjoyed a good night out and all had a great time with Marcella
as the life and soul of the party!
She had confided that evening of experiencing strange symptoms
in recent days - irregular heartbeat, strange vibrations in her
chest and back - but it was on the way home the next afternoon
that she collapsed in a shop in Armagh city.
She was taken to the doctor on call who admitted her immediately
to hospital where she was given the usual tests - ECG, blood
pressure etc. - which showed nothing for concern.
She was discharged that afternoon despite earlier indications
that she was to be admitted for further tests.
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This confusion and failure to admit Marcella
that Sunday prior to her death continues to haunt
Marcella's family and friends.
Over the next week, Marcella continued to experience these
worrying and increasingly odd symptoms and had once again
visited casualty and sought medical help,
without success.
She confided in her cousin Fidelma in her salon on the
morning of Saturday 24th September that she was 'scared' of
these increasingly frequent chest vibrations and feelings of
dizziness.
That day, some close friends invited Marcella for a night
out in Downings in County Donegal. She had admitted to her
mum that she had serious concerns about her state of health,
but being the person she was, she couldn’t let the side
down.
That night, the group partied before returning to the
holiday park in the village. On Sunday morning Marcella,
characteristically, was up first and bustling around
preparing to go shopping in Letterkenny. She went to the
small bathroom in the mobile home; she did not return.
Her friends realised that something was amiss when they
couldn’t get Marcella’s attention but had to look in through
the window of the small bathroom to find Marcella sitting on
the seat of the toilet with her watch in hand, obviously
taking a reading of her pulse.
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First Holy Communion |
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Marcella in her salon |
Unfortunately, Marcella had died. It was Sunday 25th
September 2005 - one week exactly after her
collapse.
Marcella’s
immediate family, her family circle, her huge circle of
friends and acquaintances were left stunned by her death –
even to this day those who speak of her do so with a look of
tremendous sadness and deep pain, as though such a thing is
impossible and cannot be true – even years after her
passing.
Bubbly,
infectious, larger than life Marcella had suddenly and
cruelly been taken by a hidden killer. All of us who called
her a daughter, a sister, a friend, a cousin, a niece, miss
her terribly every single day.
But still
young people continue to die of this awful disease. If
there is any legacy from Marcella’s untimely death, let it
be a better system of detection for young people and
screening for young, active people.
Those of us
left to mourn Marcella can only reflect on those unrealised
dreams, her name still above the door of her little salon in
the village and on our individual, precious memories of a
beautiful light, cruelly extinguished.
This narrative
was prepared by Fergal Kearney, a first cousin, on behalf and
with the consent of Marcella's family and friends. |
In
tribute to Marcella, we supply the words to this poem by Mary Fry:
Do
Not Stand at My Grave
Do not stand at my
grave and weep
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
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