Former U.S. Rep. Mia Love’s family is focusing on enjoying the time they have left with her after her cancer stopped responding to treatments, the Utah Republican’s daughter, Abigale, said Saturday.
“Hello Friends, I’m Mia’s daughter Abigale. Many of you are aware that Mom has been fighting GBM brain cancer,” Abigale wrote on her mother’s X account.
Love was diagnosed in 2022 with glioblastoma, a brain tumor, and revealed her diagnosis in August 2023.
Abigale added, “Sadly her cancer is no longer responding to treatment and the cancer is progressing. We have shifted our focus from treatment to enjoying our remaining time with her.”
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Former Rep. Mia Love’s family is focusing on enjoying the time they have left with her after her cancer stopped responding to treatments, Love’s daughter Abigale said Saturday. (Mia Love/X)
Love became the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress when she won a redrawn district near Salt Lake City in 2014 that had previously been represented by a Democrat. She was also the first Black Congress member from Utah.
“I wasn’t elected in Saratoga Springs because of my race or my gender or my heels,” Love said in 2013 of her time as mayor of the Utah city. “I was elected by the people there because I had a plan and a vision to get us financially stable.”
The 49-year-old served two terms in Congress, working on the Financial Services Committee, and she was the only Republican in the Congressional Black Caucus.
She was defeated by a Democrat in 2018.
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Love last posted about her diagnosis in May, writing, “These past few years have not been easy, but I have found strength and solace in my faith and constant support and love in my family. Together, they have given me hope! Whatever challenges you are facing now, keep fighting and know that there is hope.”
Love told a church youth group in 2023 that when she went on a vacation in 2022, headaches she’d been having started to get worse.
“As soon as we landed, I felt a headache come on,” she told the group, according to KSL Radio. “When we went to the beach, the reflection of the sun on the water made the headache worse. My husband took me to the hospital.”
Doctors found a tumor, and she underwent surgery to remove 95% of it.
Love became the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress when she won a redrawn district near Salt Lake City in 2014 that had previously been represented by a Democrat. She was also the first Black congressperson from Utah. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
After the tumor was revealed to be malignant, Love began chemotherapy, radiation treatments and, eventually, immunotherapy.
Love, who had previously converted from Catholicism to the Church of Jesus Church of Latter-day Saints, told CNN last year she was “looking for a cure in my faith and science.”
Late Sen. John McCain was also diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2017. He died in 2018.
Despite her diagnosis, Love remained politically engaged over the last election cycle, denouncing an assassination attempt on President Trump in July on X.
“Political violence is despicable,” she wrote. “There is not, nor will there ever be, a place for it in our Republic. If you find yourself supporting or wishing for violence, know you are wrong. May we recommit to civility, reasonable discourse, and proper civil engagement rather over anger and hatred.”
Mia Love speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2016. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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A week later, she posted, “After this past week, I’m all in on team Trump/Vance! They have a passionate vision of an American revival that enables all Americans to pursue their dreams.”
After her daughter’s announcement Saturday, Love received an outpouring of support.
“Mia Love is a dear friend. I pray for her and her family,” Sen. Mike Lee of Utah posted on X.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox wrote, “Mia Love has served Utah with integrity, and her strength and grace continue to inspire us. Our hearts are with Mia and her family during this difficult time. Utah stands with you.”
“I’m so sorry,” Love’s former colleague, former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger, wrote.
