Mother and Daughter Die of Cancer Just Hours Apart in Brazil

A mother and daughter in Brazil died from cancer just 10 hours apart, their heartbroken relatives have announced. Maria Elisabete Nogueira, 56, and her daughter Cibele Marchis, 28, passed away in Mogi Guaçu on consecutive days.

Cibele, a digital marketer, was diagnosed in 2024 with an aggressive and rare cancer originating in her adrenal gland. Approximately one year later, her mother, Maria, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after seeking medical attention for what she initially believed to be a gallstone.

Cibele underwent multiple surgeries and chemotherapy treatments. By December 2025, she had contracted infections, and doctors informed the family she was near death. Her relative Bárbara Rodrigues dos Santos recounted how mother and daughter supported each other during this difficult period. Cibele eventually recovered and was discharged from the hospital, eager for her future.

Maria's cancer progressed rapidly, and she received palliative care, including morphine for pain. She was hospitalized on September 17. Cibele had visited her mother shortly before, but her own condition worsened about a week later, requiring medical attention.

Rowilson Leandro da Costa, Maria's nephew and Cibele's cousin, described the tragic sequence of events. He learned of Cibele's worsening condition shortly after returning from a trip. When he received the call on Thursday, it was expected to be about his aunt, Maria. However, he ended up arranging Cibele's wake. After they had said their goodbyes to Cibele, he received the call about Maria's passing.

"I had to break the news again to my uncle, who was mourning his daughter, that his wife had also passed away," he said. Cibele was the couple's only child.

Family members stated that both mother and daughter had expressed a wish not to be informed if the other was still alive. "Neither of the two wanted to see the other die," Rowilson noted. "They even commented on it, sometimes jokingly, other times seriously, and it happened. One never found out about the other’s death. It really is an astonishing thing."

Cibele had shared on social media in March about facing health challenges, reflecting, "As long as your only problem is money, be grateful. Worse is facing something that not even all the money in the world can solve."

Her business partner, Eloá Righi, remembered Cibele for not letting her illness define her. "She didn't let cancer define her. She didn't want to be known as Cibele who has cancer, but rather as Cibele who works, has fun, lives, and has cancer," Righi said. A friend, Jorge Vitorino, described Maria as a "joyful, affectionate woman with a generous heart" whose life was an "example of faith, love, affection and dedication to family and friends."

Cibele and Maria were buried together in a joint service attended by family and friends.