Working Life: If I hadn’t noticed a lump, the other cancer might have spread

Liz Yeates, CEO Marie Keating Foundation

Fri, 05 Jun, 2026 - 02:00

Catherine Shanahan

“I studied international marketing and languages at DCU and subsequently spent a year working in Germany before moving to the Netherlands, where I worked for a Dutch bank. What was meant to be a three-year stint turned into seven.

Myself and my husband — whom I met in college — returned to Ireland with two kids, and I joined AIB, where I held various senior roles over several years.

When my brother Jack, a father-of-three, died of a rare form of blood cancer at 44, it was a real turning point for me.

“I had fallen into the world of banking and was fortunate to have a good career, but realised I wanted to do something more meaningful. In 2008, I took up a senior role with Concern Worldwide. A couple of years in, during a trip to Africa, I discovered a breast lump.

“A triple assessment revealed two malignant tumours in my right breast. At age 47, I had a mastectomy. It was shocking to be working one day and undergoing serious surgery the next, followed by six months of chemotherapy, intensive radiotherapy, and breast reconstruction.

“The tumours were two unrelated cancers. If I hadn’t noticed a lump, the other cancer might have spread. I lost my mum to brain cancer, and while I was undergoing treatment, my older brother was diagnosed with leukaemia. Ultimately, the impact cancer had on my family made me think maybe I could put that experience to good use — so I joined the Marie Keating Foundation in 2014 as director of public affairs, before being made CEO the following year.

“The Foundation is a wonderful charity, small and almost entirely self-funded. We provide a wide range of free support services to people diagnosed with cancer and their families, with a strong focus on information and education about signs and symptoms and the importance of early detection. Marie Keating, whose family founded the charity, died of breast cancer, but if she had gone to a doctor early, she would probably be alive today.

“As our services rely heavily on charitable donations, we run regular fundraising campaigns, and for the month of June, the campaign is “100km in 30 days”, which calls on people to walk, run, swim or cycle — essentially to move — in support of the charity.”