Mary Keane seeks accountability after years of missed brain tumour

Prime Time pairs her account of repeated reassurances with an HSE apology for deficiencies in her care.

Channel: RTÉ News ·

IrelandStory of November 4, 2026Trari Newsroom

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RTÉ News: The news division of RTÉ, Ireland's public broadcaster. 256K subscribers and 182M views.

Woman with terminal cancer says brain tumour was missed for years | Prime Time

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0:00The presenter reports that Mary's brain scans were read as clear despite severe headaches.
1:15Mary describes persistent headaches following a severe assault in 2005.
3:40MRI comparisons displayed by the programme are labelled as showing tumour progression between 2013 and 2016.
5:05Severe head pain and temporary vision loss led to an ambulance journey in 2023.
9:23Mary says she received a terminal prognosis of between 27 and 30 months.
11:04The presenter conveys Mary's thanks to her family and reads the HSE's apology for deficiencies in care.

Mary Keane remembers being told her brain scans were clear. Her headaches continued, and she later learned she had an inoperable, high-grade brain tumour.

In a Prime Time report from Ireland's public broadcaster, Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ News), Mary and her sister Carmel recount the missed opportunities to diagnose it. The report closes with a statement from the Health Service Executive, Ireland's public health authority, apologising for deficiencies in her care.

Mary describes constant headaches following a severe assault in 2005. "Constant headaches. Every day I'd be taking boxes of tablets. And nothing would move it," she says.

According to the report, scans in 2013 and 2016 were read as clear. Carmel says findings were attributed to old trauma. The programme displays a comparison of those MRI scans, labelled as showing tumour progression between the two examinations.

"All clear. Nothing to worry about," Mary recalls being told. The sisters also describe their father's history of surgery for a brain tumour, which they say was not properly investigated as part of Mary's care.

A severe episode of head pain and temporary loss of vision in 2023 led to an ambulance journey to Castlebar. Carmel recounts learning that Mary's tumour was inoperable, followed by a brief miscommunication in which the family was incorrectly told she was cancer-free.

Mary says she was given a prognosis of between 27 and 30 months. She expresses anger at the HSE and at the choices she has been left facing. Carmel believes the earlier failures cost Mary a chance of surgery.

For the sisters, responsibility matters as much as an apology. "Like this was never about money. It was about accountability and for them to take responsibility for what they've done to her," Carmel says. The presenter ends by conveying Mary's gratitude to the family supporting her.

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