"If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth." -Psalms 137:6

A tribute to our beloved Dada
- by melanie noronha (Kuwait/Mapusa)...15^th September, 2004

Viet Noronha, my beloved husband - affectionately known by friends over the Net as "De Godfather" left us for heavenly abode on 06.08.2004.

viet with son kyle at Christmas time

Diagnosed with Stage III – IV of Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system - a vital part of the immune system. The lymphatic system is a network of thin vessels that branch into tissues throughout the body and help fight disease and infection) in 1999, and been given not long to live, Viet cheated death, not once, but twice – the first time in Bombay and then back in Kuwait, when he had a relapse of the disease after having completed 8 cycles of chemotherapy, and then went on to live and love us for another 5 years - by God’s healing grace.

Viet had caught flu and his immune system being weak, he always took twice the time to recover. He developed a slight cough which would not subside despite various medications. We went back to his oncologist (doctor who specializes in Cancer), who promptly ordered for a bone marrow test and blood tests. And in addition to all that, a bone biopsy of his spine was done to check for cancerous growth. We cannot imagine the pain that he went through; I can visualize as I was with him. But, praise and thanks to God, all the reports came back negative, which meant that Viet was still in remission (no cancerous cells).

Taking the advice of his doctor, we approached a general physician who suspected Pneumonia or Bronchitis. Lung X-rays revealed nothing, puzzling the doctors as well. Fortunately, with the medication prescribed, Viet did feel some relief and felt himself getting a bit better, but not much. Plus he was losing weight and was fatigued, and that was what the doctor kept questioning. And since all his reports were negative, we never feared about anything worse.

It was just another two weeks before we could go on leave, when another blood test and X-ray was done and here again the results came negative. And so, with no other thought in our minds and his excitement to go to “Amchem Goem” as he loved to say all the time, we proceeded for our holiday to Goa on July 24, which would be after a two year gap.

We arrived on Saturday and met with the doctor on Monday. Unfortunately, in Goa, each doctor had their own opinion and Viet felt himself getting worse. So, after less than a week of reaching Goa, we decided, through a reliable source, to go to Bombay – something that Viet hated to do, and thus left it as a last resort!

The doctor in Bombay too, on consulting the reports, confirmed a case of pneumonia and prescribed further medication, advising us to come back if Viet did not feel any improvement in two days.

However, within two days of being in Bombay, Viet’s condition worsened. The storm that hit Bombay for two days left us stranded without being able to move out. The second day of his stay in the hospital, Viet was put in ICU as he had difficulty in breathing. On the third day – August 06 - God called him home. At this point all I can say is that I thank and praise God, because He was merciful to my beloved Viet. He did not let him suffer but took him away peacefully.

I know that Viet is happy and he is looking down on us every minute. He is at peace. No more pain, no more suffering, no more tests, no more fear. He is free from it all, the pain and anxieties of his life. I give all praise and thanks to God. He has set my love free.

For those of you who never had the privilege of meeting my beloved Viet, you have missed out on meeting one of God’s priceless creations. Viet was the most loving, patient, considerate and gentle person one could ever have met. With a twinkle in his eye and a gleaming smile, he spread joy wherever he went. In spite of his pain, he smiled. He underwent every test, surgery and various procedures, with never a word of complain and most of all, courage and a silly smile on his face! Even the nurses loved to treat him as he would joke with all of them and smile, in spite of his pain.

For those of you who did know him, you will agree, that to know Viet was to love him. He touched the hearts of all, young and old, with his humor, his wit, his smile and most of all his enormous and generous heart. He never spoke an unkind word and was always content. He was loved and respected, wherever he went. We will miss his daily inspirations, his jokes and news with which he kept us updated and smiling every day.

melanie-kyle-viet

I salute you my beloved, for the courage with which you bore your suffering, your determination to live for the sake of Baba and me and most of all, for your abundant and unconditional love that you showered upon us.

God blessed me with two of His most precious gems – you and Kyle. You aren’t just my husband. You’re my life, my best friend, my confidante, my pillar of strength, my everything. With you by my side, I could face every challenge that came my way, fearing nothing and no one.

The pain in my heart, no one will ever understand. The love we share, no one can ever imagine. And the insecurities that we lived with everyday of our lives, with the thought of losing one another was something we could never imagine. Your place in my heart no one will ever fill. The love we have for you, will never die. But I remain in peace knowing that you are finally free – free from every pain and misery in your life.

I know that you will never leave us, because that was your promise of love to us. We pray that you rejoice in heaven until God re-unites us once again. Till then, we will wait with hope in our hearts, everyday!

I will always love you, my love.
-melanie noronha

God's Chosen Angel

    I'm wishing you could be here,
    to hold me late at night,
    just to hear your voice,
    telling me it's going to be alright.

    When will it get better?
    Will I ever feel whole again?
    Or will I forever keep drowning,
    in my sorrow and pain?

    Why did God need you more?
    I wish that you could tell me...
    I guess he needed another angel,
and so he chose you.

    He really made a good choice,
   I just wish it wasn't you.
    But tell me my beloved,
    where could he have found a better man?

    Someone so sweet, so sensitive,
    so strong, so honest.
    So giving of himself,
    a better man he couldn't have found.

    So he chose you,
    my warmth in winter.
    My sunshine in the spring,
    my love, my life, my best friend.

    I thank God for loaning you to me,
    I cherish the years we had.
    The memories, the hugs, the sunshine of your smile,
    the promises kept, but most of all for the laughter.

    You are the one that taught me,
    how to love, to laugh, to dance.
    You gave me all you had to give,
    and then just kept on giving.

    And I thank you.

    You were a friend to all you met,
    not an enemy you made.
    There was so much goodness in you,
    that you couldn't help but give it away.

    And so I tell you my beloved,
that you are forever in my heart.
    Just wish that you could tell me,
when the hurt will finally stop.

I miss you more than you could ever have imagined.
We pray that you are watching over us.
I love you as much now as when you were here.
I pray that we'll meet again in heaven.
And remain in love eternally.

Always remember Dada how much we love you!!
-- Mama & Baba –