Congressman reveals heartbreakingly unexpected way daughter, 23, died during vacation to Italy
The family of a Massachusetts congressman revealed their daughter tragically died on a trip to Italy after suffering a 'wave of nausea' during a dinner with friends.
Molly McGovern, the daughter of Rep. James McGovern, passed away aged just 23 last month after flying to Rome for Easter Sunday.
Three days later, she died minutes after being hit with nausea while enjoying a dinner out with a group of friends, with her heartbroken family saying it was a fitting end to her joyous life, per the Boston Globe.
'Anytime you were with Molly McGovern you knew you were going to have a good time,' her sister Kathleen Gearan said. 'And she made sure of it.'
Her family said she was diagnosed with a rare cancer almost six years ago shortly after her 18th birthday, and made sure to live life to the fullest as she battled the disease.
'She had a great 23 years, but who would have thought the last five years would be the best,' her mother Lisa McGovern said at a eulogy for her daughter on Saturday.
'There were little miracles everywhere.'
Her father said in a statement after her death last month that 'even as she faced a rare cancer diagnosis, she did so with relentless courage, optimism, and tenacity—refusing to let her illness slow her down.'
Molly's mother said her passing in Italy came as she travelled to the city of Assisi, which she said had special meaning to her religious daughter.
'Her everyday necklace was a St. Francis medallion,' she said in the eulogy.
At the time of her death, Molly was studying political science and international affairs at Northeastern University, and was known as a popular figure in the halls of Congress when visiting her father.
When she travelled to Italy last month, she reportedly exchanged texts with former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was friends with Molly and her father, a Democrat.
Pelosi was preparing to go to Italy for Pope Francis' funeral, and she grew close to Molly after her husband Paul Pelosi was assaulted in a home invasion in 2022.
The former Speaker told the Boston Globe that Molly sent her husband a 'box of sunshine' after the attack to lift his spirits, and said she was heartbroken to learn she died just hours after they last texted each other.
She said she reached out to her father to tell him: 'I think his holiness, who was so saintly, decided he wanted another angel in heaven. And that would be Molly, because she was so good.'
Pelosi was reportedly among those who attended Molly's funeral in Massachusetts over the weekend.
Former President Bill Clinton was in attendance, as were multiple US senators and representatives.
At Molly's eulogy on Saturday, her father joked that when he learned that his daughter passed away, 'My first thought was 'Oh my God, poor Pope Francis', quipping that his daughter would be a handful even in heaven.
'She hated bullies, she hated cruelty, and she wanted everyone to love each other,' he added.
The congressman said his daughter bravely fought her cancer for years and most people who met her had no idea she had the illness.
'She always looked great,' he said. 'She decided to treat her cancer as merely a nuisance.'
Her older brother Patrick said Molly was his 'best friend and favorite person', and said in his eulogy: 'Molly's heart is so big, and she went out of her way every single day to share that love with everybody she met.
'I've never met such contagious, inclusive love and she had so much of it. For those on the receiving end of it, it was the best feeling in the world.'
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