Joey Moran's Story

I think in retrospect the final months of Joey's life were the most important...
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. 
 
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 then 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. 
 
Melanoma cut short a life that was sooo very important to my family.  Thank you for letting me tell my story!!!

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.