She first noticed the lump while having a shower. It was in July 2006. She finally lost her battle with cancer three months ago today. Two toddlers have been left without a mother. Her death and the manner in which she was treated by the Irish health service have left her family reeling.

The lump was painless but Edel Kelly thought it was better to have it checked out. On 26 July 2006 her local GP referred her to Ennis hospital where she was examined on 31 August.

An ultrasound was performed two-and-a-half weeks later. It reported Kelly had a "soft tissue mass and warrants further urgent investigation".

A core biopsy of Kelly's breast was carried out at Limerick regional hospital on 7 December and the final diagnosis, seen by the Sunday Tribune, stated there was "no tumour identified".

However, the diagnosis, which was compiled by a pathologist, Dr Elizabeth Mulcahy, in Limerick also included the key words "clinical correlation recommended". The Sunday Tribune understands that by recommending the "clinical correlation", consultants in Ennis hospital should have looked at the biopsy results in conjunction with the ultrasound and the clinical results (the fact that a physical lump had formed). This did not happen.

On 18 December, the HSE in Ennis reported back to Kelly's GP and said the biopsy carried out in Limerick "showed benign disease of the breast. I have reassured her today and suggested a review in six months."

That same month Kelly was told her tests results were benign. She was 'healthy' and she went back to bringing up her two sons Jack (6) and Lee (3) with her partner Noel McGreene in their apartment in Kilkee.

But Edel Kelly was far from healthy. Seven months later, on 6 June 2007, Edel went to her GP complaining of a pain in her right shoulder and a few weeks later she returned to complain of severe lower back pain.

On October 19 she was admitted to Ennis vomiting blood and complaining of persistent back pain.

At this point, it was noticed Kelly had a large lump on her left breast and she was immediately referred to Limerick for an ultrasound and biopsy.

Edel's mother Una Kelly recalled, "After seeing the lump the consultant in Limerick said to Edel, 'If that is not cancer I will eat my slipper'."

Edel was on her own in Limerick hospital when it was confirmed she had breast cancer. Her worst fears were later realised when it emerged the cancer had silently been growing through her body.

Chemotherapy

She had secondary symptoms in her bones and liver. She remained under the care of Limerick hospital where she received chemotherapy from that point onwards.

Speaking to the Sunday Tribune in the Kelly family home, Edel's parents Una and John Kelly and her partner Noel are understandably emotional when recalling her final months.

A picture of Edel with her sons Jack and Lee sits on the kitchen worktop surrounded by lighted candles.

She is described as "really outgoing and witty" by Noel. Una adds, "The main thing about Edel was that she was a great mother. She adored Jack and Lee as she had always wanted to be a mother."

After learning about her misdiagnosis, the 26-year-old was "very angry and bitter" and she decided to take legal action against the HSE over her misdiagnosis. She had met with local solicitor Eugene O'Kelly on a number of occasions. But she died on 21 June last. She never got to have her day in court.

Una said, "We knew she wanted to take legal action and she was very determined to do it. Edel's reason for looking for an inquiry was that it wouldn't happen to anyone else. We want to follow that through and finish what she started.

"We were shocked when this story about Ann Moriarty's death broke. [Moriarty died of cancer after receiving a series of all clears from Ennis hospital. Her story was made public by her partner Karl Henry two weeks ago.] God knows how many others are out there. We want an independent inquiry into all cases at Ennis. We would also like to meet the minister for health and get her to explain what happened."

As the Kelly family prepare to take legal action against the HSE, Una explained, "No compensation will ever make up for the loss of the boys' mother. [However] we would like to get something for them to help them as they grow up."

O'Kelly, the family solicitor, told the Sunday Tribune that Edel's medical records have been reviewed, at the request of her family, by a consultant oncologist at Harley Street Cancer Centre in London.

She has found that Kelly's care was fragmented, not consistent, and that further investigations should have taken place following the initial biopsy when diagnosis of breast cancer could have been established.

As the biopsy results were not looked at in correlation with the ultrasound and the physical lump, the experienced Harley Street consultant oncologist found that this was a deviation from general and approved practice in that the results of the triple assessment should have been consistent. She is adamant in her report that each component of the breast assessment cannot be interpreted in isolation and must be regarded in the context of the overall picture (with the ultrasound and the fact that a clinical examination had found a lump). "This highlights the need for a review of the case as a whole," O'Kelly said.

Tough

Even though Edel Kelly's final months were tough, "when she decided to go down the legal route that was it", her mother says. "She was convinced that she could help other people. She thought that she had plenty of time. She was given 10 to 12 months to live in October 2007 and then about a month before she died she was told that she only had three weeks left to live.

"We know that she had breast cancer but she could have had that breast removed. She might have had a few more years left and more time with her boys if it was diagnosed back in October 2006."

The Saturday before she died she went out and bought a stereo for her dad and a mobile phone for Noel for Fathers' Day the following day. She got her hair done and then went to a relative's christening.

"She was very strong," her mother said. "She didn't want to stay in bed if she was sick. She just got up and went out and did all the things she wanted to do."

Noel recalls how Edel went downhill in the days before her death. He remembers taking her to their home in Kilkee after being told the doctors could not do anything for her. She lost consciousness on the Thursday night and died surrounded by her family on the Saturday.

John said, "She was too young to die and it was our worst nightmare to have to bury one of our children. Lee will never know what his mother was like. He is too young. It's so hard to explain to the children what happened.

"We keep telling them that their mammy is up in heaven looking down on them all the time."

statement from edel kelly's solicitor, eugene o'kelly

"I call on the minister for health to immediately direct the establishment of an independent investigation. The family of Edel Kelly deserve the dignity of such an independent review. Her infant children will grow up and wonder why did their mother die and could nothing have been done to prevent it? The people of Clare deserve it. Confidence in Ennis Hospital is low. There is a poor public perception which is extremely damaging to the hospital, worrying to its patients and demoralising to those who work there. Ennis hospital is staffed by very fine, caring and hardworking doctors, nurses and staff. They are being tarnished by a suspicion of incompetence.

"An independent review should investigate what happened in these hopefully isolated cases. It would not only restore confidence in a hospital that generally has served the people of Clare very well but would also show up any additional cases rather than having a drip, drip stream of revelations coming out over the months ahead. If it were not for the courage of Edel's family putting aside their grief and going public in this matter, the HSE were quite happy to allow the perception that Ann Moriarty's case was a one off, isolated incident. We would like to know what other cases exist that have not yet come to light. Rather than conducting three internal reviews of one case, would it not be better to have one external review of all cases?

"I am worried that the HSE will see these tragedies not for what they are but as an opportunity to further erode the services that they make available at Ennis. Ennis hospital must not be further downgraded. The HSE and the minister should give a commitment to adequately resource and staff the hospital so that it can not only continue to provide an essential service to the people of this county but also ensure that there is never another tragedy of misdiagnosis that leaves two little children, Lee aged three and Jack (6) without their mother."