Mariah Mai Flaherty

Mariah lives on….

You were born April 15, 1995 in Tokyo, Japan. It was the height of the cherry blossom

season in that fair and beautiful land.

Your first name is Mariah and your middle name is Mai. To hear them together they sound

like a sweet lullaby.

As the pink blossoms bloomed throughout the city, you came into our lives … oh how you

looked so innocent and pretty.

You brought us so much warmth, love and hope that when you became ill at three months

of age, we thought we couldn’t cope.

You seemed so fragile and helpless and we were unsure of what to do, but your strength

and pureness gave us the determination to fight anew.

You grew to be a strong-willed little girl with a large appetite that would last from early

morning to very late at night.

Udon and bananas were your favorite meal, and if we didn’t feed you on time, your

screams and shrieks were piercing loud and sharp as razored steel.

At the end of a long day of feeding and chores, we enjoyed watching your drift off to sleep.

Mommy and daddy could then relax and would sometimes silently weep.

But as time moved forward, we realized you were strong, so we reached down deep to

gather our strength so we could all march on.

We took you everywhere from camping to hiking and from swimming to biking.

You loved car rides, you loved walks and you loved the cool breeze on your face as we took

you virtually everyplace.

We took you to many air shows, baseball games, football games, concerts, rodeos and

even a dragster race. The roaring of the car engines was deafening but you kept your cool

and your grace. Parking was never a problem as we could always use the handicap space!

To many you looked fragile and dainty, but little did they know - you didn’t like the

amusement park rides that were way too slow. No indeed, for you liked the roller coaster

rides with lots of speed.

When your brother arrived, and you were four, we knew life would be more challenging and

certainly would never be a bore.

You carried on with life in your own particular way, as your brother pushed you in your

wheelchair and popped wheelies to get you to play.

Although you were a special needs child, to your brother you were just like him – born to be

wild!

Sometimes you groaned and sometimes you laughed, and those special times when you

gave us a beaming smile it made it all worthwhile.

As the years passed by and you grew older, your little brother became your big brother who

could carry you on his shoulder.

You touched all who met you throughout your 31 years, from teachers, doctors, nurses,

caregivers, friends and peers.

Your loving spirit will forever be with us even though you are no longer physically here, but

the love we feel for you will never disappear – it will stay strong year after year.

Live on Mariah Mai our precious baby girl!! Our memories and love for you will remain

forever bright and beautiful as a smooth pink pearl.

Mariah is survived by her Mother, Makiko, her Father, Casey, her younger brother Andrew

and his wife Heather, her grandmother Hidemi, and her uncle Sean and her aunt Annie.