Author Archive

Dina’s Story

Dina was just at the time in her life when all the dreams came true. A young wife, a proud mother of a 16 month old son, and now three months pregnant with her second child. The little house she and her husband had dreamed of was just starting to take shape when she found a lump under her right breast. A very aggressive stage four melanoma. She remained brave and happy and celebrated every moment with her family and her friends, but nothing the doctors could do would give her more time. She died three weeks before her daughters first birthday. We try to find a reason that she had to be taken. We try to think of a cause for such a horrid cancer. One that strikes so fast and kills so callously. We pray someday, with knowledge, with caution, with awareness, that melanoma will be curable. We try desperately to protect our loved ones from the dangers of UV rays, and the horror of skin cancer.

Dr. Julian David Baumert
6/16/1975 – 5/24/2006

Julian along with his wife Maren came to the U.S. as a result of a job transfer to Brookhaven Labs. It was months after attending our dinner last year that he began to lose his courageous battle with Melanoma. He attended the Melanoma Support Group here on Long Island. Julian’s gentleness and positive attitude are a reminder that Melanoma may attack the body but never the spirit. We must continue to make a difference for the future!!

Maria Papanikolaou
January 20, 1961 – July 12, 2006

Maria Papanikolaou was an amazing woman. Married at 20, she moved from Cyprus to New York to begin the next step of her life. As a restaurant owner with her husband, she was working all hours of the day while raising her three daughters. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t do. Her smile brought happiness to everyone around her. She cherished life and held everyone around her close to her heart.

She was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in Sept. 2001. A mole on her thigh was removed and a biopsy confirmed she had Stage III melanoma. She tried every single therapy in the book and went through a number of surgeries as well as a couple of clinical trials. However there wasn’t anything that seemed to work the way it should have. Although she was going through so much all these years, she remained a strong woman. Not once did her weakness and pain overcome her. Her experience has given us the knowledge of what melanoma really is and how cautious we must be with ourselves now.

She was an amazing wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. Although she is not with us physically, we know she will always be with us in spirit.

Michael Lee Bellah
May 26, 1974 – May 16, 2006

Mike was born in San Diego, California to Bill and Mary Bellah. He married his love, Kathryn, on October 25, 2003 in Tucson, Arizona. His interests were as varied as the hues in an Arizona sunset. He loved hiking, fishing, hunting, boating, rock climbing; just about anything that involved the beautiful outdoors. He was a devoted family man who loved Kathy and his family with all his heart. He had many close friends all of who considered Mike their brother. Another of Mike’s joys was to build and repair computers. He was working towards a degree in Computer Science and had recently been awarded a scholarship to the University of Arizona when his battle with melanoma began.

Mike was diagnosed with melanoma on July 7^th, 2005. Initially, he was thought to have a “sebaceous cyst” behind his right ear. He had seen several doctors, all of whom had prescribed antibiotics for treatment. In July, he had the “cyst” removed, which turned out to be melanoma in a lymph node. He was already in stage III when our nightmare began. The primary lesion was never found. For the next 10 months, he faced each challenge and fear with grace and dignity, the same way he lived his life.

Mike was a courageous, generous and loving man. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for his family and friends. His blue eyes reflected the quiet strength and integrity of his character. One of our dear friends at his memorial service summed up Mike’s life this way, “How do I remember Mike Bellah? Tall, handsome and quiet, the Clint Eastwood type. With one big difference, he made your day”. There is not a moment or day that doesn’t go by that we do not think of him and miss him. He is in our hearts and lives forever and we eagerly await our heavenly reunion.

Keith Kamman’s Story

Keith Kamman, age 34, danced to heaven on March 31st encircled by his loving family. How do you sum up a life that ends too soon? Keith loved life. He cherished being a father, husband, son, grandson, nephew, brother, friend, cousin, architect, home “fixer upper”, camper, fisherman, traveler, just to name a few. But most importantly his love for his two daughters (age 2 and 4) and wife defined him.

Keith was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin and grew up in Plymouth, Minnesota. He graduated with his Master’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Minnesota in 1996. He and Jane Kimble were married October 3, 1997. They were blessed by the births of their daughters, Claire and Amelia in 1999 and 2001.

From the moment Keith was diagnosed with melanoma, our family has been cradled by an amazing circle of love. Thank you to Dr. Svetomir Markovic and staff at Mayo Oncology, Dr. Nicolas Gonzales and his alternative method of treatment and Dr. Lentz and staff in Mainz, Germany. And our unending gratitude to the Allina Hospice nurses and staff.

Keith is survived by his wife, Jane; daughters Claire and Amelia; parents Paul and Cathy; brother Craig, Sister Paula, Grandmother, Loretta; Great Aunt Louise Holter, aunts, uncles, cousins, in-laws and friends.

Keith fought with determination and strength. Though he is gone from our physical midst, he will live in our hearts forever.

“In the depths of winter I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.”

-Albert Camus

Joey Moran’s Story

I think in retrospect the final months of Joey’s life were the most important… and quite frankly I think that is when I got to know him the best. You see Joey married my sister Elizabeth Baker in October 2002. He was almost 20 years older then my sister, but when they were together you would never know. Somehow Joey just fit in – with my sister, and all of us. He had intelligence, humor, and was the hardest working guy ever. I would only find out how caring he was after he passed, when countless numbers of people came to our rescue with stories of how Joey had helped them. God it was like he was a super hero.

A few years before, Joey had a mole removed it was diagnosed as melanoma. He was your typical Irish man who had been out in the sun in County Mayo, all of his life. No one had ever heard of skin cancer. Joey went through the first mole removal like a pro. We thought it was all in the past. Boy, were we wrong.

May 3, 2003 Joseph (Josie) Dearg Moran was born. What a day! Little Josie was his dad’s pride and joy. Unfortunately, melanoma reoccurred shortly after his birth. It came back with a vengeance. …Such a scary feeling. Joey had a tumor grow back under his first scar. Melanoma had traveled to the lymph nodes under his arm and the doctors performed surgery. He would never be able to be a contractor again! That was his livelihood. We tried to reinforce the fact that he was healthy and that is all that mattered….but he was devastated.

He appeared healthy and all scans were now clear! The doctors wanted him to undergo treatment. A month before his treatments, the Moran family found out that a new member would be arriving in September 2004. Joey was sooo happy but the feeling left soon…. In January 2004 Joey started chemo. He fought so hard with the chemo, and then with the reoccurring brain tumors. When he was in Sloan Kettering hospital after having the brain tumors removed, he asked my older sister and I to visit him! Looking back I think Joey knew the battle was bigger than he was and he wanted us to know that we need to take care of our sister and the babies! We knew that already though!!!

Joey lost his battle on June 19, 2004 and was buried in his homeland of County Mayo (Currane), Ireland. He didn’t see the birth of his youngest son Emmet Thomas Moran who was born September 10, 2004. My sister delivered this baby on her own with my mom and older sister in the waiting area. I think she wanted to be alone hoping that Joey would somehow show his spirit!

Joey does show up a lot. Of course not physically but every once in a while we are thrown a curve ball! He will always live on and he has left everyone he knows with the job of keeping his memory alive!!! I tell his sons about dad. Josie knows that daddy is up in the sky….He does not really get it but for now that is all he needs to know!!

Melanoma cut short a life that was sooo very important to my family.

Meredith Baker, Loving Sister In Law

In Loving Memory of John Barry Fitzgerald Jr.
11/30/1964- 10/12/2004

John knew what was important in his life. He wasn’t impressed by money or status. John left the world of finance to pursue a “road less traveled.” For the last four years of his life John counseled the youth of Covenant House in Manhattan. He took great pride in his work but never focused on the good he was doing but instead the good in those he served.

John was a “stubborn irishman” which should be taken in only the best sense of the phrase. At the time of his diagnosis with stage four melanoma he was given six months to live. John died six months and one day later. Those six months were months of at times discouraging treatment but also a time of strengthening family bonds and living! John never gave up his battle until his final days. He spoke of life and plans, surfing and travel. He renewed bonds with old friends and attended his final Giants football game.

John returned to his family home when he became ill. He spent hours each day with his niece and nephews treasuring the newness of each day through their eyes. He loved and he laughed and let no one know his pain. John was very brave.

We all miss John so very much especially his father, sister, brother and stepmother. John is at peace that can never be found in this life. He has returned to the arms of his mother.

Melanoma has robbed so many families. John never liked to be the center of attention but let John’s life and death help us to understand our mission to end this deadly disease. We must educate, use caution and do whatever we can to work toward a cure.

Dennis Michael Leahy
3/22/1949 – 3/29/2004

Dennis Michael Leahy was born on March 22, 1949 and died just after his 55^th birthday. After growing up in Manhattan, Dennis and his wife Delia moved to Woodside, Queens to raise their family. Dennis earned a living as an electrician for the I.B.E.W. Local Union #3. He raised two children Craig and Meagan, and one of his proudest moments was watching them graduate from Fordham University and Loyola College of Maryland. Dennis overcame many obstacles in his life, but unfortunately melanoma was not one of them. After fighting melanoma for ten months, he succumbed to the vicious cancer on his wife’s birthday on March 29, 2004. Throughout his entire battle, Dennis always kept his sense of humor, remained optimistic and kept his faith in God’s hands. Dennis is survived by his wife Delia, his two children, Craig and Meagan, many brothers, sisters, in-laws, nieces, nephews and friends. Not a day goes by that his presence, humor, smile, and overall disposition is not sorely missed by all.

Harvey Goldberg
10/19/56-10/3/99

In Loving Memory of Harvey Goldberg

Harvey was 34 when, at the beach, his friend pointed out a suspicious looking mole on his back. A visit to the dermatologist confirmed melanoma, and surgery followed. Although given a scare, Harvey thought he had escaped the cancer. He continued enjoying life, his kids, and his work as a partner in a Manhattan CPA firm. He and his wife, Lisa, even went on to have a third child.

In early 1997, a couple of months past his 40th birthday, he felt a lump under his arm. The melanoma had traveled to his lymph nodes. Surgery followed, as did a full year of interferon injections. Unfortunately, although his body seemed clear, the melanoma had traveled to his brain. Doctors treated Harvey aggressively. He wanted to live more than anything, and seemed very strong. He endured gamma-knife radiation, brain surgeries, and whole brain radiation. At the end, chemotherapy was tried, with no success.

Harvey died at home on October 3, 1999. He left a wife, and 3 children aged 6, 9, and 12. His children were his pride and joy. As his sister, I miss him terribly. When we were kids we often thought about how old we would be in the millennium year. Harvey never made it. He did spend a lot of time in the sun as a child and teen, and he paid for that with his life. I hope that people will learn from all those that have died so young, and protect themselves and their children from the sun.

Doug Gorman 1962 – 2007

In Memory Of

“The true spirit of our great friend Doug Gorman is captured in this photo snapped six months before he lost his courageous two year battle against Metastatic Melanoma at the young age of 45. He did what he loved until the end, keeping active while hanging out with his beloved daughter Shane on the right and her friend Paige in the middle. Doug was the most optimistic, adventurous and caring friend one could ever hope for. A Veterinarian by trade, he loved all animals and developed a stellar reputation in his field. He also cherished the time spent with a close circle of family, friends and especially his daughter Shane. All of their lives were enriched by the wonderful outdoor adventures Doug led them on. Whether it was hiking, kayaking, biking, skiing, running or boating, a day spent with Doug was always an invigorating experience. He always said he wanted to be remembered, not in sadness, but for all the terrific times spent together. He particularly enjoyed a classic sunset and its afterglow. So, each time we are blessed with a beautiful sunset, we smile and thank Doug for having been a part of our lives.”

Dave Gugerty, Friend