Born 11-28-1959  

Entered Heaven 01-26-2007

God Bless you all from Vicky's family to yours.  This is not goodbye because God promised that we will meet again.

    AND ALWAYS REMEMBER TO:

  LIVE LAUGH & LOVE ALWAYS!

PLEASE READ BELOW  THE STORY OF VICKY'S STRENGTH & FIGHT & VICTORIES AGAINST CANCER. HOW SHE FACED TREMENDOUS CHALLENGES AND OVERCAME THEM AS WELL AS LIVING HER LIFE TO IT'S FULLEST AND WITHOUT REGRETS BUT FILLED WITH LOVE & A COMPASSION TO TOUCH OTHER LIVES.

             For God so loVed the world

                    that He gAve

                         His onLy

                        begottEn

                               SoN

                                   That whosoever

                  believeth In Him

                      should Not perish

                buth have Everlasting life

                         John  3 :  16

Updated 01-17-2010- Vicky's Laughter! The last section below is dedicated to Vicky's humor. In life Vicky overcame tremendous odds to live despite her constant battles against cancers. One way to deal with this was to laugh. She told many jokes so in honor of one of Vicky's 3 L's, LAUGH, her site includes a section at the bottom with 1 of Vicky's favorite funny stories or jokes she would love to tell everyone. She made a lot of people laugh and that was a big part of her healing process. She understood the power behind laughter was a major presecription for living life. Please enjoy the humor and pass it along to others.  Current story: "Have Faith & You Can Walk on Water Brother."

Until we meet in Heaven we cherish our time together on earth. 
            
   

                              

                                            "EONIA IMNIMI" 
                          Greek for May your Memory be Eternal


This memorial website was created in the memory of our loved one, Vicky K. Margiotis who was born in New York on November 28, 1959 and passed away on January 26, 2007 at the age of 47. We will remember her forever. Please light a candle for Vicky (see the right column) before you leave this site.  -------------->




A TRUE INSPIRATION:
We hope Vicky's story helps and inspires every visitor. Not only those dealing with similar issues but with those who deal with life's everyday matters. We could write a book on Vicky's triumphs through the challenges she faced.  Vicky found that with God all things are possible including what seemed to others as impossible. Some wrote, after reading Vicky's story, that they were motivated and decided to fight back hard against their issues and others shared this with friends and loved ones. Vicky gave others hope while she was on Earth. We know she would be  pleased to have her life give hope to others through her story.
 
Where do we begin to describe Vicky's life? She was a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a cousin, a true friend, a companion, a Christian, and was full of fight with a zest to live. She loved everyone. She had her favorites, like we all do, but even if you crossed her she still loved you. 

Vicky often told everyone how we may not have grown up financially rich but we had a great childhood and were rich with the great things in life that money could not buy. She loved her family and like all families we had our differences but never held any grudges against each other. We stuck together and many people stated throughout the years they wished they had as close a family as ours. That was a great tribute to our parents. That was the way they raised us. With great fear and respect for God and to never fight with each other.

CANCER - A 6 LETTER WORD THAT SENDS A WAVE OF DISPAIR TO ALL AND BRINGS THE STRONGEST OF PEOPLE TO BENDED KNEES. WHO LIVES TODAY AND HAS NOT BEEN TOUCHED BY THIS TERRIBLE ILLNESS? 

Vicky was a 3 time Stage 4 Cancer Survivor.
Vicky had a different fight on her hands and that was a hard fought battle with cancer. Over 21 years before her death she was diagnosed with her first of 3 stage 4 cancers. She was in for the fight of her life. A petite woman she stood 4' 11" and weighed an average of 95 pounds. But, she had the heart of a lion; the backbone and fight of a Spartan Warrior; the patience of Job; a relentless will; and the complete support of her family.

At that time Vicky's Oncologists gave her the worst news. They advised Vicky that her cancer was widespread according to the results of exploratory surgery. After several procedures  to try to stop the cancer they turned to Chemo and radiation.
 
Chemo and radiation were administered but she was unable to tolerate these treatments and stopped after the first treatment. Now the cancer progressed to the point where her Doctors gave her weeks and possibly months to live. Not knowing what to do she went home and started to pray and prepare for the unknown. We were all devastated.

At that point she made a decision to fight and fight hard and not go quietly into that dark night. She established her philosophies for how she was going to approach this fight. She called family and spoke with them daily. 

She and her brother Dennis adopted these philosophies that Vicky took in  her heart and mind and put into practice every day:
    * Make a firm decision to live and plant this seed in your mind.
    * Make laughter a great part of your daily life.  
    * Keep the Faith. Believe in, trust in, and love God 100%.
    * Pray always and be thankful for everything.
    * Keep up the fight and persevere daily.
    * Look for the good in every person & situation. 
   * Everyone brightens your day. (Vicky joked when she said "One person brightened my day when that person left me alone.") 
    * Always have good things to say and stay positive.
    * Take stock in the great gifts God gave you.
    * Always touch other people's lives in a positive way.
    * The 3 L's - LIVE, LAUGH, & LOVE.

DID THIS WORK?
Several months went by and Vicky went back to her doctors for follow up testing. That cancer was GONE. We truly believe Vicky received a divine miracle healing. She learned to fight hard and that stuck with her. 3 of the 4 Dr's could not give an explanation of how this happened. But the 1 Dr told Vicky "This healing did not come from us or anything we did." This cancer never came back.

Over the years other cancers had come and gone and she fought each and every one of them with the same tenacity. Some doctors told her and us that Vicky humbled them by being such a great fighter and overcoming all the odds and lived many years beyond any medical expectations. She was truly an enigma to all they knew about cancer survivors. She lived in spite of many of her doctors telling her she would not live very long whenever she came down with other issues. But Vicky proved them wrong time after time. Vicky toughed it out and fought off many serious issues. Was this rough? Absolutely YES it was.
Her other philosophy was:
"When I have a good day I want to make it a great day because I don't know if that will be my last day. But if I have a bad day I think of my great days to get me through it & look forward to a great day."

Vicky spent a great deal of time from Dr's appointments to all sorts of medical tests, treatments, and surgeries. We all wondered how much could she take?!?! She took these issues as a challenge and through all those issues she stood 10 foot tall and bullet proof. Very hard to believe even for us. All her issues are medically documented. Her sister Helen and brother Bill usually accompanied Vicky to all her appointments. Many thanks to their employers also, who understood the severity of the situation and have that kind of compassion. Joan would go many times as well. Chris and Dennis who live in the southeastern part of the US would visit as often as possible to be by Vicky's side and help however they could.Vicky called her brother Dennis at least 5 days per week for moral support and help with handling her situations or at least to have someone to vent to and relieve herself of anxieties that she faced everyday. 

Vicky told the story about a doctor who examined her and then said to her "You're going to die!" (how cold from a health "care" provider) to which she replied "So are you Doc! Now how about telling me what you're gonna do to help me live!" 

Vicky loved the Dr's who worked with her like Dr Chambers, Dr Soletic, Dr Posner, Dr Kessler, & many other Doctors & Nurses who encouraged Vicky and helped her. God Bless these men & women of medicine that helped Vicky in her battles. We need more professionals like these in health care.

There were many times she left other Dr's care because she felt uncomfortable. Vicky called her brother Dennis one day and told him she was going to have exploratory surgery but was not given a good explanation as to why. She called him back about 2 hours later and told him she was home. She explained she asked for a few band-aids from the staff, removed the IV's, and left the hospital AMA (against medical advice) and went home. We were all upset hoping she did not do a bad thing but she trusted her own judgment on this. She was just fine afterwards.

INSPIRATION:
Vicky was struggling trying to understand the reasons why she survived so many issues and what to do with her life to give it greater meaning. The answer came to her through others who knew her struggles. Vicky's life and fight inspired almost everyone who knew her including her brothers and sisters. Many times we heard people tell us she inspired them to fight and showed them that life can deal us a worse hand. Vicky would tell them "Yes, maybe I was dealt a bad hand, but like my brother Denny tells me, some of the biggest poker jackpots are won with the worst cards. Just like the song says; Every hand's a winner and every hand's a loser." 

A saying Vicky lived is: "Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!"; and she did just that. She danced !!!


The 3 L's. LIVE, LAUGH, and LOVE.
BUT LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE:
Vicky practiced and preached hearty laughter. This got her through so many days. She loved good jokes and learned as many as she could. She learned quickly that feeling bad was not an option she wanted so she did all she could to laugh. She learned that love regardless of any situation was the best way of approaching everyone. Oh, she could get mad and put a person in their place, but usually that person earned that very unenviable spot. Vicky did not like to get angry but when she did, it was for a good reason, and she unloaded with both barrels.

VICKY's BEST CHARACTERISTIC:
If there is 1 characteristic Vicky had that spoke volumes it was her INDOMITABLE SPIRIT. Vicky personified this characteristic even until the end. She displayed the strength and perseverance to rise above while all the odds were against her. She faced serious pain, suffering, and death many times with this indomitable spirit and survived.  She faced each day with courage, a smile, and the expectation and determination to live. Vicky never liked to complain and said "I hate when others who are healthy and well complain about trivial things. I've asked many of them who knew me if they would like to switch places with me."  She earned the nickname "Rocky" after the character portrayed by Sylvester Stallone.

TOUCHING LIVES:
Vicky touched many peoples' lives and helped not only inspire others but gave hope to those who she came in contact with and some who were fighting similar battles that they could also overcome their situation. Vicky had a great smile, heart, and way about her that you could not help but be attracted to her. She was a blessing to all who came in contact with her and she believed all were a blessing to her as well. She took lemons and made sweet lemonade. She took care of her parents who never had to see the inside of a nursing home and who took care of her as well. She lived her life as fully as possible. Please look at her photo slide show and see what she accomplished. She did not like pity parties and strived to always look and feel her best. 

VICKY LOVED:
 * Jesus Christ and His Church
 * Her family and Friends
 * Helping people
 * Events that celebrated life
 * Making great memories
 * Meeting new people
 * Music, Dancing, and Singing
 * The New York Yankees - She always dreamed of throwing out the first ball at a NY Yankee game. 
 * Food - It would surprise you what she could eat.
 * Traveling anytime she was able.
 * The Greek radio show that treated her like family. She used that show to communicate to others around the globe. 
 * Her Priests: Fathers Constantine, John H,  and  Many Others
 * TV Ministers: Charles Stanley, Joel O'Steen, & Jack Van Impe.

1 of VICKY'S TREASURED SAYINGS: 
"To the world you may be just 1 person, but to 1 person you just may be the world." Author Unknown. 


More of VICKY'S FAVORITE truths as written by MOTHER TERESA:
People are often
Unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway

If you are kind,
People may accuse you of selfish motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
People may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
Some one could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
Others may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
People will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
And it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you have anyway.

You see, in the final analysis,
It is between you and God;
It never was between you and them anyway. 

Nice  link to a beautiful site:
http://www.andiesisle.com/icanonlyimagine.html

*******************************************************
Vicky was like the Coffee - Read below why.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this:
Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, the coffee bean releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, just enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy. 

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.

May we ALL be like the coffee bean!!!





*****************************************************
                   
VICKY'S REQUEST:
LIGHT CANDLES, MEMORIAL SERVICES & REMEMBER HER. This website was set up to run perpetually in her honor. Please be so kind as to light a candle for Vicky before you exit this website. This comes back to 1 of her philosophies whereby everyone has this chance to brighten her spirit. By doing this it will also brighten your life too.

We would like to THANK all the people who took the time to pray for our sister through her hard times. The list is very long.  Thank you and God Bless all of you.

Vicky was survived by her 5 sisters and brothers: Joann Papadopoulos, Chris Margiotis, Eleni Kouzounas, Bill Margiotis, Dennis Mariotis. Also by all her nieces and nephews who she loved and cherished as well as many cousins and her dear friends who are too numerous to list.

Vicky is now reunited with her parents Kostas and Maria and her sister Vasiliki in heaven. Vicky's questions have been answered.

                               TO VICKY FROM HER FAMILY:
WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH AND WILL MISS YOU UNTIL SUCH TIME AS GOD CALLS US. THEN WE WILL REUNITE WITH YOU AND THE REST OF OUR LOVED ONES BEFORE YOU. GOD GRANT YOU REST IN PEACE. MAY YOUR MEMORY BE ETERNAL. "EONIA IMNIMI"




                  AN INVITATION TO ALL VISITORS:
Vicky was always a great Christian example to others. Even as she laid seemingly helpless countless times in a hospital bed she ministered lovingly to everyone. Many who witnessed Vicky speak wonders about her faith were greatly moved especially while she agonized in pain and suffering from her illnesses. Many wanted the kind of spirit she had. You too can have that spirit. Vicky helped bring others to understand the love of God through His Son Jesus Christ. She was never ashamed of this and would also like for you to take this opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and for you to personally experience the greatness of His grace in your life too. If you have not accepted Him please do so now and find a Christian based church to continue to grow in your faith. You will be glad you did. She would love to see all of us in Heaven someday. If this led you to Christ please let us know this by writing it in a tribute, condolence, or candle here on Vicky's Memorial website. Even if you remain anonymous. We can rejoice with you as well as Vicky will with all the Heavenly angels. Vicky wanted to write a book about her life's experience to help give hope to others but that did not happen. We wanted to tell her story here and continue this as her ministry and her "book" to the world. God Bless all of you always. 

             Romans Chapter 8 Verse 28
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

             John Chapter 3 Verse 16
For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
            
            I Corinthians Chapter 15 Verses 51 - 52
"Behold I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. 

             
             I Thessalonians Chapter 4 Verses 13 - 18
"Bretheren, I do not want you to be ignorant about those who have fallen asleep, so that you will not grieve like those who have no hope. Because if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so must we believe that God will bring with Jesus all those who have died believing in Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefor comfort one another with these words."


On behalf of the Margiotis Family we thank you for taking time out of your life to visit and pay your respects to our beloved sister Vicky.

And Always Remember:
 

I Am Free       -   Author Unknown

Don’t grieve for me, for now I’m free
I am following the path God laid for me.
I took His hand when I heard Him call,
I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day
To laugh, to love, to work or play.
Tasks left undone must stay that way,
I found peace at the close of the day.

If my parting has left a void,
Then fill it with remembered joy.
A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss
Ah, these things I, too, will miss.

Be not burdened with time of sorrow,
I wish for you the sunshine of tomorrow.
My life’s been full, I savored much,
Good friends, good times, a loved one’s touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief,
Don’t lengthen it now with undue grief.
Lift up your heart and share with me,
God wanted me now; He set me free.

*************************************************

For My Thia Vicky: My Shining Star

Poem from: Yanna Papadopoulos (Vicky's Great Niece)

You
went up
to the sky
one day and
became a star, I
see you mostly every
day. As everyday goes by, it makes me want to sit and cry, remembering
your smile, your laugh your love, and your care … all the memories we
used to share. My favorite memory was the last, for it was
on Christmas day before you passed. I miss you forever
I love you and remember every day. All I
want to say is rest in peace and I
will always remember that I was always
your special little niece. You loved to hold
my hand and I did understand
that your time was up but you
would not give up.
You live on in
my heart.

Vicky's Niece "Little" Vicky participated in a team run to raise funds for cancer research. One of those events was in Vicky's name. They made great T shirts to honor Vicky's memory. Here are a couple of pictures from that event.                                                  

Pictured above is "Little" Vicky who ran in the event to raise funds and awareness and to the right are VICKY's big sisters, Eleni and Joann. Great Job! Thanks to the TEAM!

Above is pictured (left to right) VICKY's nieces Lori, Yanna, Sophia, and VICKY's sister Eleni. All are wearing VICKY's angel picture shirt used to sponsor the event to raise money for cancer in NY by VICKY's niece "Little" Vicky. VICKY's philosophy of touching others lives continues.

       






Courtesy of Andre Trevizo for Vicky in Memory of his Brother Christopher. Thank you so much Andre. This is a great tribute to Vicky. She always wanted to throw out a baseball to open a Yankee game and here she is pictured in Yankee Stadium. I know she loves this.

Beautiful tribute to our Vicky courtesy of  Irene - mommy to her beautiful angel, Kayla Xavier. Please visit Kayla's site and light a candle or a tribute for this precious angel. Thanks and God bless you Irene.

Vicky's Laughter - The section below is dedicated to the jokes and other funny stories that Vicky loved to tell others and help everyone she came in contact with to take their minds off life's burdens by making them laugh. Laughter was always part of her prescription for healing and for helping others heal.  She always loved a hearty laugh. IF you remember a funny joke or story Vicky told you please e-mail it to Dennis to review and possibly add it to Vicky's Laughter section.

Have Faith & You Can Walk on Water Brother:
One afternoon 3 Christian Ministers went fishing. They were in a row boat in the middle of the lake discussing the bible when one minister stopped and said "Oh, I forgot my lunch on shore and I am getting hungry." The rookie minister said, "I'll row the boat back to shore for you" to which the other minister said, "That's OK but I'll get it myself. Have faith and you can walk on water Brother!" The minister got out of the boat and walked across the lake to shore; got his lunch and walked back across the lake to the boat. "Incredible" said the rookie minister. A few minutes later the other minister said the same for his lunch. The rookie minister said, "I'll row the boat back to shore for you" to which the other minister said, "That's OK but I'll get it myself. Have faith and you can walk on water Brother!" This minister did the same thing and walked across the lake, got his lunch, and walked back across the lake to the boat. By now the young minister thought how incredible and that he felt he had as much faith as they did and could do the same. The rookie minister stood up and said, "I need to get my lunch too." to which the other two ministers said together, "Do you want us to row the boat back for you?" as they snickered. The young minister replied "I have as much faith as both of you put together and I can get it myself!" The rookie minister took one step overboard and PLOOP, right down under the water he went. The other two ministers laughed hysterically as they reached over to help the rookie minister out of the water when the one said to the other, "Should we tell him where the rocks are?"!!!"