Shealy subsequently submitted a photograph of Ayala to Associated Press reporter Jim Davenport and explained that he was an illegal alien. Davis condemned the action, saying "I call on Ms. Ceips to fire Rod Shealy and Randy Bates, the two operatives who carried out this dirty trick." Personal life Shealy had two sons by his first wife Becky, Rod Jr. and Ross. He remarried to Pat Shealy and had a stepdaughter named Amy. Shealy was diagnosed with melanoma in 1983 and given a 30% chance of survival. Twenty-five years later, in August 2008, he announced that the cancer had recurred. The brain tumor affected the portion of Shealy's brain that influences the ability to communicate, read and write. Oscar Lovelace, Shealy's physician said that Shealy was "having language difficulties and periods where he couldn’t remember what he needed to say. He was mixing up numbers and letters." Shealy died due to possible complications from the cancer on August 18, 2010. Shealy was known to wear Hawaiian shirts. References External links Doing the First Amendment, Shealy's blog Shealy on Blogspot 1953 births 2010 deaths American political consultants People from Columbia, South Carolina