Former United States congresswoman Mia Love died at age 49 following a battle with brain cancer.
“With grateful hearts filled to overflowing for the profound influence of Mia on our lives, we want you to know that she passed away peacefully today,” Love’s family shared in a statement via X on Sunday, March 23. “She was in her home surrounded by family. In the midst of a celebration of her life and an avalanche of happy memories, Mia quietly slipped the bands of mortality and, as her words and vision always did, soared heavenward.”
The statement continued, “We are thankful for the many good wishes, prayers and condolences. We are taking some time as a family and will provide information about funeral services and a public celebration of her life in the days to come.”
Love was the first Black Republican congresswoman to take office, serving as the representative for Utah’s fourth congressional district from 2015 to 2019.
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She was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2022 but kept her health battle under wraps for two years. Love spoke candidly about seeking treatment for her cancer through a clinical immunotherapy trial during a May 2024 interview on CNN.
“I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t think it was a big deal, everybody gets headaches,” she said at the time. Eventually, the headaches made her “head feel like it was exploding.”
Initially, nearly 95 percent of her brain tumor was removed. Following her biopsy results and cancer diagnosis, Love underwent chemotherapy and radiation. She was given 10 to 15 months to live when she joined the clinical trial at Duke University, a prognosis she surpassed.
Earlier this month, however, Love announced that she had stopped responding to treatment.
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“My battle with brain cancer is coming to an end. The disease is no longer responding to treatment and my family and I have shifted our focus from treatments, to enjoying every moment and making memories with the time we have,” she wrote in an open letter for Deseret News, published on March 11. “My life has been extended by exceptional medical care, science and extraordinary professionals who have become dear friends. My extra season of life has also been the result of the faith and prayers of countless friends, known and unknown.”
Love added, “The result of such humble faith and pleading prayers have been felt by me and my family in ways too numerous to count. I have always believed that faith and science are inextricably interconnected.”
Love is survived by husband Jason Love, who she married in 1998, and their three kids.
