Jacqui Browne, a disability activist and thalidomide survivor, has died at the age of 63.
Ms Browne, who was from Co Kerry, died peacefully at her home on Monday “surrounded by her loving family” and a palliative care team.
Ms Browne, who was born in November 1961, is predeceased by her parents Donal and Jean, and her brother-in-law Jean Paul Baro. She is survived by her siblings, nieces and nephews, and wider family.
In her death notice, her family said they are “heartbroken” by her passing.
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Ms Browne will be reposing at the Gleasure Funeral Home in Tralee on Thursday from 6pm to 8pm. Her funeral Mass will take place at midday on Friday at St John’s Church in Tralee.
A spokeswoman for the Irish Thalidomide Association (ITA) said its members are “devastated” by her death and “grieving the loss of a great friend”.
Thalidomide was introduced in the mid-1950s to counter morning sickness but was withdrawn from most markets in 1961 after widespread evidence of it leading to birth defects. However, it was retained on the shelves in Ireland until 1964.
The medication led to deformities and the deaths of thousands of babies across the world. Many children of women who took the drug in pregnancy were born without limbs, or shortened limbs, with hearing and vision impairments and injuries to internal organs.
Members of the ITA have been campaigning for decades for a State apology for the immense toll thalidomide has had on their lives.
Ms Browne, who worked as a disability equality consultant for more than 35 years, underwent several operations throughout her life due to the condition.
In an interview with The Irish Times last year, she said that receiving a State apology would give her “closure” and “take this big cloud off from over my head”.
