MBOMBELA – Carmen Brown, the well-known and much-loved terminally ill local, suddenly passed away on Saturday.

Fundraiser for terminally ill Carmen Brown

“She will be forever with me. She touched so many people’s lives and was a true inspiration. I loved her with all my heart,” said Sarah Carmichael, who created a bucket list to make sure Carmen did everything she loved and loved everything she did – “before she became an angel herself”.

Carmen keeps her joy of life despite critics

“The cancer has spread more and doctors have said there is nothing more they can do for me. But one thing is to never take a day for granted and love whomever you can, ’cause you never know what tomorrow holds,” was one of her last Facebook posts.

This gave Carmichael the idea to make her bucket list come true, so she took to social media. Locals opened their hearts, and many businesses offered to assist.

Carmen was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2014. After chemo, radiation and a mastectomy, she was in remission for six months. At her six-month check-up they found cancer cells under her arm and in her lymph nodes. This prompted three more rounds of chemo and another operation in October 2018.

Terminale kankerlyer wil lewe ten volle geniet

With weekly draining of fluids, a nurse accidentally punctured her lung, resulting in her being admitted to a local government hospital with a collapsed lung. Carmen was there for two weeks to recover.

In February, they informed her that the cancer cells were getting bigger, more aggressive and were now stage four.
The doctor told her that the cancer had spread to her back, chest, arm and bones, and told her that there was nothing more they could do except offer more chemo for pain relief.

The cancer had recently spread further, into her kidneys, liver and lungs. She passed away while visiting a friend in Malalane. According to her brother, Allan, her friend heard her drop to the floor while visiting the bathroom.

“She couldn’t breathe when he rushed to her. She died before paramedics could get to her. It was massive shock to us all,” he said. “Carmen was an amazingly strong and inspiring woman, a single mother of a bright young son, Clement (15), and worked up to three jobs to provide for him and put herself last,” said Carmichael.

“I will continue living life until my body gives in,” Carmen told Lowvelder in a recent interview. Carmichael said this was exactly what she did, despite being bedridden and in tremendous pain the past couple of months.

For this reason, not a lot of things on her bucket list could be fulfilled, but she could go to Mozambique, get hair extensions, got a matching tattoo, went snorkeling, had a dining experience, a photo shoot, and had quite a few weekends away with her best friends. The majority of this was made possible thanks to fund-raising by the Funck family.

“Although we are saddened by her sudden passing, we are relieved that she doesn’t have to endure the pain anymore,” Carmichael said.

The newspaper had previously reported on serious matters in which she was allegedly involved, which she referred to at the time as her previous life.

Two in court again for attempted murder

Carmen was never found guilty of any crime, but faced charges of assault with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm as well as attempted murder in two separate incidents in 2013.
“It took cancer to bring me to pick up the pieces of a life ridden with stupid decisions. Being in the wrong crowd broke my life,” she told the newspaper.
Instead of being a victim of cancer, she found a renewed enjoyment in, enthusiasm for, and appreciation of her life over the past six years.

Before cancer, she and her brother Allan hardly spoke. During the past six years they have buried the hatchet and made new memories. He will now take over custody of her son.

A private cremation will be held later this week, after which her ashes will be scattered in Mozambique, one of her favourite holiday destinations.