A family has been left utterly devastated after a mother and her daughter died from cancer just 10 hours apart, heartbroken relatives said.
Cibele Marchis, 28, died on Thursday around 4pm local time at a hospital in Mogi Guaçu, Brazil, G1 reported.
Her beloved mother, Maria Elisabete Nogueira, 56, passed away around 2am on Friday after being sedated at another hospital in the city, the local outlet said.
Cibele, a digital marketer, was diagnosed with an aggressive and rare cancer that originated in her adrenal gland in 2024, according to family members, per the report.
About a year later, Maria found out that she had pancreatic cancer after going to the doctor for what she believed was a gallstone, loved ones said.
Cibele underwent a series of surgeries and chemotherapy treatments for her cancer, and in December 2025, doctors told the family that she was close to dying after contracting infections, Bárbara Rodrigues dos Santos told the outlet about her loved ones.
Bárbara recalled the mother and daughter leaning on each other during the dark time.
‘She [Maria] fasted for 24 hours asking for a miracle for her daughter, and God answered. God gave her daughter back,’ Bárbara said.
Maria Elisabete Nogueira, 56, and her only child, Cibele Marchis, 28, died just 10 hours apart from each other, their family revealed
Cibele, a digital marketer, was diagnosed with an aggressive and rare cancer that originated in her adrenal gland in 2024, according to family members
After she recovered, Cibele was discharged and excited for the life ahead of her, her relative said.
‘She wanted to live,’ Bárbara told the outlet, adding that her scars and colostomy bag did not phase her.
Her mother, who was also known as Bia by loved ones, did not receive as much treatment for her cancer after the disease progressed rapidly.
Maria’s pain had gotten so bad that she required morphine. She was hospitalized on September 17, the report said.
At the time, Cibele had visited her sick mother. But about a week later, her condition worsened, and she needed medical attention.
‘I arrived home from my trip on Wednesday, and my mother said that Bia was unwell,’ Rowilson Leandro da Costa, Maria’s nephew and Cibele’s cousin, told G1.
‘And when I received the call on Thursday, everyone expected it to be my aunt, not Cibele.’
Rowilson said he was the one who arranged his cousin’s wake, and after they got home from saying their goodbyes to Cibele, the call came in about Maria.
Maria had pancreatic cancer after going to the doctor for what she first believed was a gallstone, loved ones said
‘I had to break the news again to my uncle, who was mourning his daughter, that his wife had also passed away,’ he said.
Rowilson said that Cibele was the couple’s only child, and that his uncle has been lost without them.
‘He lost his family. To come home and find no one there anymore. It’s sad, difficult,’ he explained.
Their family said that the mother and daughter both wished not to be told of their deaths if one of them was still alive.
‘Neither of the two wanted to see the other die,’ according to Rowilson.
‘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.’
In March, Cibele shared a clip of her being hooked up to an IV drip, stating: ‘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.’
Cibele and Maria were buried together in a joint service surrounded by their family and friends
She often posted photos alongside her mother, and the two appeared to travel a lot before their final days.
Eloá Righi, Cibele’s business partner, recalled her never letting her sickness bring her down.
‘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,’ she said.
Her mother had a similar way about her, according to well-wisher Jorge Vitorino.
‘Bia was a light wherever she went: a joyful, affectionate woman with a generous heart, who left unforgettable marks on everyone who had the blessing of sharing her life,’ he shared.
‘Her life was a constant example of faith, love, affection and dedication to family and friends.’
Cibele and Maria were buried together in a joint service surrounded by their family and friends.
