Former Rep. Mia Love, who became the first Black woman elected to Congress for the GOP, shared the new grim reality of her brain cancer diagnosis in a statement issued Saturday.
The family of Love, 49, said she was diagnosed with glioblastoma and has now stopped all treatment for a malignant tumor as the disease has become too advanced.
“Hello Friends, I’m Mia’s daughter Abigale. Many of you are aware that Mom has been fighting GBM brain cancer,” the doting daughter wrote on X via her mother’s account.
“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,” Abigale wrote.
The mother of three was diagnosed with glioblastoma in 2022, and revealed her diagnosis in 2023. Glioblastoma manifests in the form of a brain tumor; it is an aggressive form of cancer that has an unknown exact cause.
Before being elected to congress in 2014, Love was a local politician in Saratoga Springs, Utah, becoming a city council member in 2003 and rising to mayor in 2010.
She failed to win reelection in 2018, losing in an upset to Democrat Ben McAdams by less than 700 votes.
The daughter of Haitian immigrants, Love was born in New York City, living in Brooklyn until the age of five when her family moved to Norwalk, Connecticut.
Fellow Republicans responded to Saturday’s sad news with 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 also expressed his support.
“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,” he wrote.
Secretary of the EPA Lee Zeldin also spoke out on the sorrowful news.
“Mia and I were elected to Congress together in 2014, and she has been one of my closest friends in life ever since. She’s an amazing and courageous fighter and the Zeldin Family has nothing but love for her forever,” the former New York congressman wrote on X.
The 49-year-old shares three children, Alessa, Abigail, and Peyton with husband, Jason Love.