Vale Sarah Mamalai: Mum and brain cancer campaigner who gave her all

Sarah Mamalai, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2007, has died at Clare Holland House in Canberra, surrounded by "a lot of love".

Sarah, 50, passed away on Sunday.

She is survived by her loving sons Joe, 21, and Will, 18.

Her beloved husband Oscar Mamalai died of a brain aneurysm on his 46^th birthday in 2020.

A force of nature, Sarah was determined to help find a cure for brain cancer, working towards that goal for as long as her body would let her.

Sarah, with family and friends, walked the Kokoda Trail in 2008, raising money to find a cure for brain cancer. Picture supplied

She had been given just three months to live back in 2007, but lived another 17 years, making every one of them matter. One year after her diagnosis, in 2008, she and Oscar and friends and family even walked the Kokoda Trail, raising $55,000 for the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.

Sarah started the annual Brainstorm for a Cure gala in Canberra.

Sarah Malamai at Club Kalina in Tuggeranong in September last year. Picture by Karleen Minney

The fundraising concert attracted headline acts such as the the Hoodoo Gurus, Jon Stevens and Daryl Braithwaite, and over six years raised more than $2 million for the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation. Sarah also continued to volunteer in her community.

She was nominated as 2018 ACT Local Hero in the Australian of the Year awards.

The Canberra mum had three brain surgeries and suffered a stroke during the third operation, which affected her mobility.

Sarah's good friend Amanda Fintan was with her when Sarah passed away on Sunday morning. It was peaceful and there was so much love for Sarah in the room.

"She is now free from the body that restricted her," Amanda said.

A celebration of Sarah's life will be held in Canberra next month, at a date to be announced.

Sarah Mamalai at her home in Pearce in 2019. Picture by Jamila Toderas

Keep an eye on Sarah's Facebook page Happiness in the Face of Crappiness for details of the celebration.

It was on this Facebook page that Sarah outlined her attitude to life.

"My journey with brain cancer has taught me if you live with gratitude, hope and humour, you can still live with joy," Sarah wrote.

"That's not to say it hasn't been harrowing, I was told I had as few as three months to live, and suffered a deep depression, but choose to search for the positive whenever possible."