Mother tragically dies from cancer at age 24 after fulfilling her dream fairytale wedding - as her distraught husband pays a gut-wrenching tribute to his 'beautiful' wife
- Mother with terminal cancer who fulfilled her dream wedding has tragically died
- Mikaila Brisbane, 24, made headlines after tying the knot to Harley in early 2018
- Photographer Beth Fernley helped the pair turn their wedding dream into reality
- On Sunday, Harley paid tribute to his 'beautiful' wife after she died on Sunday
- She was diagnosed with rare soft tissue cancer after finding a lump on buttock
A terminally ill mother who fulfilled her fairytale wedding has tragically died after losing her battle with stage four cancer at the age of 24.
Mikaila Brisbane, from Albion Park on the south coast of New South Wales, tied the knot to Harley, 26, in an intimate ceremony in February 2018 after the community rallied behind the couple to bring their dream wedding forward.
Two years on, her distraught husband has paid a gut-wrenching tribute to his 'beautiful' wife after she died on Sunday from an extremely rare soft tissue cancer called alveolar soft part sarcoma.
The parents share two young kids together - five-year-old daughter Indie, who started kindergarten this year, and son Reef, aged three.
Mikaila Brisbane (pictured) who fulfilled her fairytale wedding has tragically died after losing her battle with stage four cancer at the age of 24
The mother and her husband Harley share two kids together - daughter Indie, and son Reef
'We sadly lost our beautiful amazing earth angel Mikaila. She fought to the very end with every bit of strength she had. Mikaila was such a powerful strong women,' Harley said on Facebook.
'[She] cared for anyone and everyone with the biggest heart. Her children were her whole life and loved them unlike any words imaginable. She was an amazing wife, mother and daughter. I will cherish each and every moment I spent by her side forever and ever.
'Myself and her family will never stop loving her and will make her memories live on forever. I love you Mikaila my beautiful wife. I really don't know what to believe or say at this time, it just does not feel real.
'It's very hard for all of us at this time and we do appreciate the words and thoughts. But just remember Mikaila of the amazing person she was and smile for her knowing we are all thinking of her with all our hearts.
'I love you Mikaila to the moon and back, forever and ever.'
Share this article
His tribute comes just two years after the couple made headlines following their fairytale wedding at Driftwood Shed in Terara, north of Nowra, in February 2018.
But there were challenges leading up to their marriage after the pair were forced to change their wedding date after Mikaila was forced to undergo surgery to remove the lump the size of a 'small orange' she spotted on her buttock.
'Harley and I decided to bring our wedding forward and get married at soon as possible because we didn't know how soon the cancer would take me,' Mikaila told Daily Mail Australia at the time.
'We planned our wedding booked for September [2017], but unfortunately I had to get surgery to remove the tumour.'
Two years on, her distraught husband has paid a gut-wrenching tribute to his 'beautiful' wife after she died on Sunday from an extremely rare soft tissue cancer
The young mother has been documenting her excruciating battle with cancer on Facebook - as she revealed in May 2017 her heath had deteriorated
She was diagnosed with an extremely rare soft tissue cancer called alveolar soft part sarcoma after finding a lump on her buttock
Surrounded by loved ones, Mikaila described her wedding day as 'perfect'.
'Our wedding day was perfect. It was sunny all day and then right before it ended, it started raining. Harley and I are free-spirited type of people so it was just perfect,' Mikaila said.
'It was more than just a dream wedding. I was feeling nervous when I saw Harley at the alter but I thought "I don't know why I'm nervous, I've known you for five years".'
Their wedding ceremony was made possible after a chance meeting with photographer Beth Fernley, who turned their dream into a reality after she was moved by Mikaila's heartbreaking story about her cancer battle.
So Beth - who offered to shoot the event free-of-charge - shared Mikaila's story on Facebook, calling on wedding planners to get in touch if they wanted to help the couple with their ceremony.
Much to their delight, the community gave the couple their fairytale wedding.
On Monday, Beth shared an emotional tribute after learning about the tragic news.
'I just found out that we lost the incredible Mikaila Brisbane after her fight with cancer. She fought for so long and she fought with everything she had,' Beth wrote.
'She was courageous, funny, an incredible mum and wife. She inspired me and so many others to live an amazing life and I will always be grateful that I met her.
'My heart is broken but I'm thinking of her beautiful family and sending them all my love and support. I love you Mik.'
Mikaila made headlines two years ago after she spoke out about her shock cancer diagnosis
In early 2017, the mother was given the tragic news she had stage four cancer
The couple met when Harley was working as an apprentice mechanic working with Mikaila's brother who introduced them.
And just three months into their relationship, the then-18-year-old and Harley were expecting their first baby - daughter Indie. Two years later, they welcomed son Reef.
On Valentine's Day in February 2017, Harley popped the question to Mikaila when they were sailing on a cruise - but during their romantic getaway, she found the lump on her buttock was bigger than usual.
'I noticed the lump six months prior to the cruise. At the time, I got it checked a few times but I was told I had nothing to worry about,' she said.
'The lump would go away but kind of come back. But it popped up one day suddenly. During the cruise, it became noticeably bigger. It was really unusual.
'It was swelling up really big, it didn't seem normal. I decided to go to the hospital because by that stage, it was getting really hard to sit.'
One week later, she was given the shocking diagnosis she had stage 4 alveolar soft part sarcoma following a PET scan and biopsy.
'I immediately knew what that meant, my friend passed away from sarcoma just two years earlier so I highly doubt I'd survive from it,' she said.
'I was very anxious and upset. I have two kids... There's not much I can do but try to stay positive and live my life.'
Comments 0
Share what you think
No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.
