This is my husband Steve diagnosed in January of 2002. He was such a beautiful loving man that was genuinely sweet. Steve never had a negative comment when you asked him how he was doing, even right after his surgeries he always said he was "doing good". Steve was a kid at heart; he loved to work on the bikes with our 3 boys and go fishing and would even be caught racing the kids to the supper table most nights. Steve had his first WLE in March of 2002 with primary on his right forearm. Steve decided to go with the Interferon and so started in June of 2002 and we stopped in October of 2002 when Steve started having seizures, it was then I knew that he had a tumor on his brain. At the end of October Steve underwent brain surgery to remove as much of the tumor as they possibly could. On New Years Eve was when we found out that all of his organs were affected as well, all he wanted was to see his boys graduate. Steve and I were always a team and even when things got harder for him he always did his best to help me. 5 days before he past away he was able to attend our youngest sons 6th birthday and for as uncomfortable as he was he told everyone, "I'm doing good".

That night Steve asked me to call his best friend to take him to church and so I did, when they came back from church his friend was just in tears and told me that when he asked Steve how he was doing that morning while they were in church Steve told him "I'm not doing so well" and from that day on Steve was unable to get out of bed. Monday I had our 2 youngest boys taken out of the house to stay with friends, I just couldn't let them see their Daddy like this and let them say their goodbyes. Tuesday came and Steve was so very restless and every hour on the hour Steve would shout out " honey I love you" no matter who was in the room with us. That Wednesday I drove to Minneapolis to pick up his oldest son from the airport and try as I might nothing could prepare him to see his father in that condition but when we arrived home Steve knew that he was there and held out his arms and told him " come here and give me a hug I love you". It was then that I told Steve " now all the boys are home" and he looked at me with his beautiful blue eyes and said, " I love you" and took his last breath and past away on January 18th 2003. I miss him so bad it hurts, but I know that he is watching over for us and grinning for ear-to-ear watching his 3 beautiful sons grow. I love you always Steven,

Alicia

This is my beautiful sister Jennifer. Diagnosed stage III in 1998. She had just turned 32 when Melanoma took her away from us. I miss her every day and wish I could see her beautiful face and talk to her again. I would always read these memorials and feel so bad for the people who lost their loved ones and think not my sister. Never did I ever imagine having to put her memorial on this page. I always thought her amazing strength and faith in God would get her through the battle. That's just what it was a battle. I guess She was too strong for this earth and God wanted her for better reasons unknown. That's the only way I can comfort myself when I have to face the fact that she is no longer with us.

We were close in age and did many things together. We shared a love for BonJovi. We went to concerts together all the time. Jennifer had a great passion for life and only wanted to better herself. She was going to college and wanted to become a physical therapist. She put everything on hold when this disease progressed to stage IV in Oct 2001. She wanted to wait till she was better to continue doing anything. She needed to focus on beating this disease.

She underwent several different treatments but nothing could tame the beast inside her. Jennifer had great faith in her religion and always prayed to God and St Pio to save her from this dreadful disease. But on June 10th 2003 God took her home. Melanoma stripped my sister of her life and the things she wanted to accomplish. The one thing I know is that she is most definitely an angel of high rank up in heaven. She earned her wings while on this earth. Jennifer was so courageous and strong. She never complained or asked why me? She lived each day with a smile on her face and only wanted to live and spend time with her family, her friends and her golden retriever Maury. I wish I could have my sister my best friend back to go through this journey of life with me. I miss her, need her, and love her so much.

Jenn, We love you and miss you every day! You are always in our hearts. Till we meet again my beloved sister. We Love you!

Jennifer Margaret Toscano 4/19/71-6/10/03 Our Angel In Heaven

My mom Janice Nolin Burke, lost her fight with Melanoma on 7-22-03. She was extremely beautiful to everyone who knew her.

She was my best friend and I am going to miss her so bad. She was diagnosed in June of 1997. She has had so many operations, chemo, radiation, experimental procedures that I guess her body could take no more. I am comforted by all of the support from all my friends and family and also I am thankful to all of you here on the MPIP website. Each and everyone of you has helped me to understand this cancer better and that the feelings that I am going through are normal. I will miss her so much. I know a minute will not go by that I don't think about her.

Leigh Burke Shaughnessy

AmyIN

"My Lil'Ogar, Forever Love" are the words inscribed on the inside of my husband's wedding band; let me explain. SHREK was one of our favorite fairytale movies; we must have watched it 1000 times, if not more. SHREK himself was truly nothing more than a gentle giant as was my husband. As you can see by Russ's picture, there was nothing "lil" about him. Standing 6'3, 4% bodyfat, and 235 lbs, he was my Prince Charming (my lil'Ogar). Our story is one of a fairytale drenched with romance that met up with a deadly dragon nnamed Melanoma and ended too soon. We were married April 13th of 2002 and diagnosed one week after the honeymoon. My husband danced into Heaven at the tender age of 33 only 6 months after we were married. Russ was a husband, brother, son, friend, a protector, he was TRUE. He loved life and lived it to the fullest; always sharing laughter with family, friends, and Bosco, our Jack Russell that went everywhere with "his daddy". My husband had such a confidence about himself. He could walk into a room and just his presence would demand your utmost attention. Not only did he have an abundance of physical strength, but inner strength as well. Melanoma may have attacked his body, but it couldn't attack his soul. His faith was steadfast and strong; me moved mountains with it and is continuing to do so today. He never met a stranger and created instant friendships that would last a lifetime. His beautiful smile could tame a tiger, and 1 wink of his crystal blue eyes would melt your soul. They always melted mine! He was bold and sensitive, always speaking his mind and yet not afraid to share his true feelings. my husband was REAL. Here is a little info about us. We left each other love notes in the driveway written in sidewalk chalk and hid little cards all over the house with "sweet-heart" notes on them. Every Friday night I would proclaim "I'll cook you breakfast in the morning!", and every Saturday morning I would awake to the smell of fresh brewed coffee. Strangers would walk up to us enjoyed working out together in the gym, but most of the time just ended up giggling rather than exercising. Russ drank red wine to impress me, and only told me he hated it after we were married. He proposed to me at the end of a candlelit trail strewn with rosebuds. One month after he died, I found the paper where he had practiced memorizing what he wanted to say in the proposal, it was perfect! I will forever love my husband. On the evening of November 11th, I softly held his head as he quietly danced into the Heavens to join his older brother and sister, Tim and Janine. Heaven is a place that has become so very real to me. my husband is there. I patiently await the day God calls on me, and my husband will embrace me at the gates as we dance through eternity together in our Fathers Kingdom. ETERNITY! I love him and miss him fiercly.

Camie Chirico

Dann, age 54, the love of my life and my husband for 30 years, went home to Heaven on November 11, 2002. We were married when he was 23 and I was 18.

He fought MM valiantly, and through the whole battle we believed that God makes no mistakes and that He is good all the time, not just when things are going our way. That still holds true for me.

God gave me a very special moment in the hospital two days before Dann left. These were five friends and myself standing around his bedside, and he took off his oxygen mask, looked straight at me and said, "I will love you forever and ever and ever." I was so thankful for his words and that he chose to say it when there were people in the room with us. There were plenty of times we were alone that he could have said it. But I think he wanted everyone to know how much he loved me. I know that not only I, but also those other five people, shall never forget this expression of love.

I love you, Dann, and because of our faith in Christ, I know I also shall be with you again when I am called home.

Your loving wife,
Dircy

This is a picture of the love of my life, my husband and soulmate, Dave Weeks. He had also a great love affair with the game of golf besides being president of his own corporation. He was first diagnosed with melanoma in January of 1997 with a rare case of malignant melanoma under his right thumbnail. By the end of January, 1997 he had had surgery to amputate the majority of his right thumb. By the beginning of February he had been to see the oncologist and started regular appointments every 3 months. They advised just as a precaution to try interferon but it was such an abnormally high dose that he had to quit. There is much to be said for the quality of life. It was his decision as it was his life. He had so many surgeries I lost track. This was minor compared to the last month of his life. In July of 2002, he started having great stomach problems and finally his family practitioner admitted he could go no further. We went to the stomach specialist who immediately set up a ct scan within 3 days. The day of the scan, we were told to go directly across the street and be admitted to the hospital. I was told he had some sort of obstruction in the small bowel. When they operated, they told me afterwards that they did a resection to solve that problem but the larger part of this is that there were nodules everywhere and that it was very advanced. It would be very quick. He was in the hospital for 10 days knowing his outcome. I don't know how he did it. He came home on 8-2-02 and died on 8-20-02 at home. He was 60 years old. I didn't want to make this sound like a medical journal because there was so much more to him than the melanoma. He had a great sense of humor and very positive attitude about all the tests he had to have. He never complained once. I believe to the bottom of my soul that he knew all of this deep inside. We had just moved into a brand new house and I think under normal circumstances I would have gotten more resistance from him but I think this was his way of making sure I was closer to my family.

I'll love you forever, Honey.
Love, Kathy

Love you John.
Jim

See Jim's memorial freedive to 116'!

My sister had the unending support of her wonderful husband Keith and her two beautiful girls Lindsay and Courtney. They were there for her day in and day out and we all admired their family strength. Carol had so much support from her family and friends and was always so appreciative of everyone's help. She was admired and loved by so many with a sense of humor that was all her own. She left behind words and phrases that family and friends can really appreciate now and laugh at. Our lives will never be the same without her but SHE WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN. Many of her wonderful qualities will live on in her girls. We miss her dearly and not one day goes by that I don't think of her and wish things could be different. There are still so many things I need to tell her. Until we meet again in eternal life we love you and miss you.

Carol "Carrie" Cedillo
February 13, 1961 - July 5, 2002

In Remembrance of Nate's Smile

Life is a mixture of sunshine and rain,
Laughter and pleasure, teardrops and pain,
All days can't be bright, but it's certainly true,
There was never a cloud the sun didn't shine through -
So just keep on smiling whatever betide you,
And you'll find when you smile your day will be brighter
And all of your burdens will seem so much lighter
And nothing on earth can make life more worthwhile
Than the sunshine and warmth of a beautiful smile.

Let not your heart be troubled:
Ye believe in God, believe also in me.
John 14:1

Gone fishing in a Beautiful Place
See you all soon!

Love, Nate

This is a picture of our 21-year-old son, Allan Dennis Bryce, with his girlfriend, Missy.

Allan was a CAD-CAM engineer who loved Missy, paintballing, playing D&D, cars, computers, and hanging with his friends. He diagnosed with MM at age 17 in August 1998 - two months after graduating from high school. The MM site and all the lymph nodes under his left arm were removed, which was pretty tough on this left-hander. He was an the INF/Melacine protocol for two years, during which time he had no further mets on any scans and pretty much lived his life like he had always done. He finished his treatment in October 2000, and he and his Mom celebrated by getting something he wanted more than anything: a tattoo! He got a tribal symbol and Mom (at the age of 45!) got a hummingbird. They were both thrilled.

Our happiness turned out to be short-lived, however. His first set of scans three months after completing INF treatment showed lung mets, and then six months later, brain mets. He underwent gamma knife surgery and seemed to do well for several weeks. However, he suffered a brain bleed and was totally paralyzed on his left side. After only two and a half weeks in Rehab, however, his persistence, courage and hard work resulted in his ability to walk again with assistance. We were able to bring him home, but our happiness was short lived. Four days after bringing him home, he suffered another brain bleed and was brought back to the hospital.

From the day he was diagnosed up until this second bleed, Allan never felt sorry for himself, or moaned, or said "why me?". He took every bit of bad news with a grain of salt and a "So what? Let's just take care of it" attitude. When the second bleed happened, though, he was devastated. It was almost like he knew that this would be the beginning of the end. After a few days back in the hospital, Allan started to suffer seizures. We were basically told to take him home because there was nothing anyone could do for him any more. We brought him home on November 26th and celebrated his 21st birthday on November 29th with all his friends and family beside him. He slipped into a coma on December 7th, and died on December 8th with his loving father at his side and holding his hand. Allan's courageous spirit and bravery has inspired everyone who knew him or came in contact with him. We are glad he is no longer in pain, but we all miss him terribly.

In addition to his parents, Sharon and Dennis, he is survived by his two brothers, Davidson (19) and Stephen (17); grandmother Marion Reuther; many aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and the love of his life, Melissa Burdick.

Allan Dennis Bryce
11/29/80 - 12/8/01

This is my dad Mike Highley. He was a great musician and loved guitars. My dad was first diagnosed with melanoma very suddenly in July 2001. He bravely battled along with our entire family for 10 months. He was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma with brain mets. We attempted all conventional and alternative medicines. Through this whole thing my dad always had his sense of humor and everyone loved him. He was a devoted father to me and my sister Christy and was a very loving husband to my wonderful mother Pam. They were married for 32 years. My dad had many friends and touched many people's lives. He is missed so much every day. Mike lost his battle on May 13, 2002, at Hospice of Dayton in Ohio.

We love you Dad (& Grandpa),
Mom, Cindy & Christy
Brittany & Danielle (his 2 granddaughters)

This is my wife Gayle F. Newsom. She died on December 12, 2001, she was 50 years old. Over eleven years from having a malignant mole removed she was diagnosed with Stage IV melanoma Memorial Day 2001, in the lung and liver. We celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary on December 7th with a trip to the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC. It was the first time in 6 months we had any type of vacation and we just relaxed and enjoyed each other. She was weak from the fight but never lost faith in God and always had hope she would beat this disease. She held on to the Bible verse, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me".

We had the best marriage. She was more than a wife, she was my best friend. She leaves two of the finest sons a father could have Matthew 23 and Wesley 21. What a good mother she was. I miss her so much. I know that she is with God and at peace in Heaven. To all those who have lost a loved one I truly hope they believe in Christ and a life beyond the grave.