October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month internationally,  and for many people, the first name that springs to mind when thinking of the subject, is that of Marie Keating, who passed away from the illness in February 1998 .

Since Marie’s death, her family have done unimaginable work in creating awareness for the disease, which devastated them 21 years ago. This week Sasha and Venetia are joined in the studio by Linda Keating, Marie’s daughter and Founder of The Marie Keating Foundation to tell us about the incredible work her family have done in spreading awareness about cancer in ireland. 

In the interview Linda tells the podcast that her mother died because she did not know enough about cancer and the importance of early detection. She also had a huge and extremely common phobia of visiting hospitals and interacting with medical professionals, meaning that she put off getting herself checked for a long time. The saddest part about their story is that If Marie had understood her symptoms and if she had been treated earlier she would be alive today. This fact has been the driving force behind the incredible work Lind and her family have done in the years since their loss. The type of breast cancer that Marie died from is called Paget’s Disease, which is a decaying nipple that can be followed by a malignant tumour, causing breast cancer. 

According to Linda, Marie Keating died because she did not know enough about cancer and the importance of early detection. If Marie had understood her symptoms and if she had been treated earlier she would be alive today. This is why The Marie Keating Foundation was started. 

About the charity:

Given the fact that there are over 170,000 cancer survivors in Ireland today, the Marie Keating Foundation supports cancer survivors through its Positive Living and Survive & Thrive programmes, which are run nationwide, free of charge, for men and women. 

Over 1,000 cancer survivors have attended courses and seminars since the programmes’ inception in 2014. The Survive & Thrive Programme is aimed to assist anyone who has come through treatment to adjust to their ‘new normal’ and offer practical advice and help in many areas of life including diet and exercise, emotional support and adjusting to returning to work.

 The Positive Living programme is for men and women living with advanced cancer and supports them in coping with their specific physical and psychological needs. The Foundation is almost entirely reliant on private and corporate donations to provide its cancer awareness and support services free of charge to families in communities throughout Ireland.

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