Whitmore Breaks Her Silence Over Illness

Jennifer Whitmore with new dog, Daisy…

t was, she believed at the time, all down to a frantic weekend at the local elections count in Shoreline and just not eating properly.

But when Jennifer Whitmore collapsed at her Delgany home the June morning after three of her fellow Social Democrats won their seats, it turned out to be something far more serious.

“Out of the blue, I felt nauseous and woozy, and within a couple of minutes I went from happily chatting on the phone to being unconscious on the ground as my husband Tony rang for an ambulance.”

Speaking to the Indo, Whitmore explains that she was then rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital. “Initially, I had assumed my nausea was something simple, like forgetting to eat well over the course of the weekend – it had been frantic at the count.

“But it became clear once I got to the hospital that it was more serious than that. It turned out I had had a spontaneous rupture of my spleen, which caused considerable internal bleeding.”

“It was a random, unusual occurrence that there seems to be no explanation for, just an unlucky event.”

Without any real diagnosis, Whitmore realises that it’s impossible to create any real awareness or warning for others.

“Thankfully, it was quickly identified and I had a procedure to stop the bleed. Everything went well in surgery and I am now well on the road to recovery. I really can’t thank the staff of St Vincent’s enough. They were fantastic, both from a medical perspective but also the genuine care I was shown.

“Even a paramedic who brought me to hospital, Emma, came back a couple of days later to visit on the ward and see how I was doing. The staff’s concern made a scary and difficult situation much more manageable.”

Whitmore with Greystones firefighters FRI16JUNE23

“The whole thing also hammered home how fortunate I was to have the support of family, friends and constituents during my recovery.”

The get well messages fellow Greystonians and other politicians came thick and fast on social media, whilst Taoiseach Simon Harris got in touch to express his shock and concern.

“It really underscores the importance of not only a properly functioning health system, but also community healthcare, so that all people can access the services they need while in their home. This is why the Social Democrats make this one of our key priorities – everyone deserves to have the safety net of help when they need it.”

As to finally breaking her silence on what happened that June morning, Whitmore is keen to clear up any rumours and speculation. The fact that she is currently with her family on a holiday right now means the TD is now ready to get back to work.

“August and September always bring a host of issues to the fore, whether it’s back-to-school problems, such as the school bus chaos we saw last year, or general requests for help. I’ve missed dealing with constituents over the last couple of months, so I’m eager to get back to it when I’m back from my break.”

That the country may be facing a general election soon has Whitmore glad that she’s “fighting fit” once again.