New mum thought pain was from giving birth but it was worst news imaginable
A young mum who thought she had piles from giving birth has tragically died from colon cancer.
Mia Brehme was just 23 years old when she was given the devastating diagnosis. Despite a brave fight, she passed away last month, leaving behind her three-year-old daughter, Kyla-Mae. Mia’s older sister, Alicia, 28, is now speaking out to raise awareness of the disease in young people. Alicia, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, says: “Mia and I did everything together, I saw her every day. I was with her all through her pregnancy and I was her birthing partner.
“It was Mia’s dying wish for me to raise Kyla and I will make her proud. Kyla looks just like her mummy and it’s a comfort to me that her mummy lives on through her. We never for a minute thought that Mia’s symptoms could be anything so serious, because she was a healthy young mum. I hope, in her name, young people will get checked out, and lives will be saved.”
Despite a brave fight Mia Brehme passed away last month, leaving behind her daughter, Kyla-MaeAlicia and Mia were close as children, and their bond was strengthened after the death of their mother, Joanne, 43, eight years ago, also from cancer. Mum of two Alicia says: “Losing mum was hard and Mia and I relied on each other. We spent every day together. Mia was like a second mum to my two sons. When she fell pregnant herself, she moved in with me, until her daughter was born. She was a brilliant mother, absolutely devoted to her little girl. Mia was sassy and outspoken, and Kyla is just the same, she is such a character.”
In June 2023, Mia saw her GP, complaining of bleeding from her back passage. Alicia says: “It turned out she’d been bleeding on and off since having Kyla, but she just presumed she had piles from giving birth, which is not unusual. She got some cream from the chemist, and they seemed to clear up. The bleeding was on and off.” But Mia then became very tired and was struggling with sickness, diarrhoea, and constipation. She was referred for tests and in July this year, she was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer.
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Mia (left) with her sister Alicia who is trying to raise awareness of the diseaseThe disease had already spread, and doctors warned it was treatable, but not curable. Alicia says: “It was a huge shock. She was a fit and healthy young mum, and it just didn’t seem true. Mia didn’t want to know the details, she wanted to remain positive and be around for as long as she could for her little girl. She authorised for me to get the updates on her condition instead. That was very hard, because I knew she was terminally ill, and she didn’t. I was visiting her every day, trying to be upbeat, knowing I was going to lose her.”
Mia underwent chemotherapy which did not help, before being admitted to Wigan and Leigh Hospice. Alicia says: “Mia celebrated her 24th birthday in the hospice, on September 27. Less than one month later, she was dead. It was so fast. Cancer spreads very quickly in young people, which I was not aware of. She deteriorated quickly, and I spent every day at the hospice. We had lots of plans to make memories, for Kyla, but in the end, there was no time. Mia asked me to bring Kyla up, with help from her daddy.
“I was with her when she passed away, and my heart broke. I feel like a part of me has gone too. Kyla looks so much like her mummy and at times, it is a sharp reminder of what we have lost. But she is such a comfort too. She knows her own mind, just like her mum. She keeps asking if she can go and see her princess mummy in the sky, and she has a locket, with Mia’s photo inside, which she kisses. In Mia’s memory, I would like to raise awareness of this killer disease, especially in young people. If you have symptoms, no matter how minor they seem, please get checked. It could save your life.”
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