Colon Cancer Awareness - A Letter From Michele
A Letter From Michele McNichol, CEO + Co-Founder of Arion
Arion’s People pillar is at the core of why we do everything we do. Every day we come to work, our #1 care and concern is helping A-Teamers take care of themselves and each other, empowering them to then focus on taking care of our clients. To this end, we launched our Wellness Program in 2020 to provide a framework for encouraging physical, mental, and financial wellness for the A-Team.
Taking care of People is one of my deepest personal convictions. As some of you may know, my involvement with the CEOs Against Cancer - Greater Houston Chapter was catalyzed by my family’s story involving colorectal cancer. If you want to know my WHY – why wellness is so important to me – please keep reading to find out WHY I am passionate about cancer awareness, education, and prevention in our Arion family and beyond.
Kevin & Michele McNichol
During the holiday season of 2013, I thought I had the dream life: a loving husband of 23 years, Kevin; three (mostly) great kids; our dream house that we had just finished remodeling, a beach house, a boat, two cats and a dog. We both had very successful careers, working with great people and enjoying the work. It all seemed so perfect…until January 5, 2014 when we were told that Kevin had cancer.
It was one of the few times in my entire life that I didn’t have any ideas about how to “fix” it. Kevin endured major surgery, many rounds of chemotherapy but ultimately lost his fight at 8:47 am on October 14, 2014. He was 56 years old, in the prime of his life and it was over. The lives of our family and friends were changed forever that day.
Kevin - like many of us - had never gotten any of the preventive tests. He had no history of cancer in his family, not anyone. He was active, ate healthy, basically was just living his life. In the fall of 2013, he started not feeling quite right. He started having stomach pains after he ate, and after a few months of this, he went to the doctor. They ran a few tests, gave him some antibiotics, and told him it would get better. It might have gotten a little better, but like most of us he was too busy to be slowed down by a stomachache, so he just kept living. On January 3rd, the doctor ordered a new CAT scan to ensure everything was fine. Of course, it wasn’t. He was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer.
Nine months and nine days later he was gone.
When talk turns to uncomfortable things like colonoscopies, mammograms, and mental health, we tend to feel awkward, but here’s the thing: I’d rather someone feel a little uncomfortable than to face what happens when these routine screenings and health assessments go by the wayside. My goal is for no family I know to have to go through what our family did if there is any way to prevent it.
My ask is that you take advantage of preventive screenings, and educate yourself and your family about risk factors, warning signs, and what to do if there is a concern. There really is nothing more important than your complete wellness.
To our health,
Michele
Michele serves on the CEOs Against Cancer - Greater Houston Chapter Board to raise funds for essential research and support for cancer patients and their families. Consider donating to Hope Lodge and scheduling your screening appointment today!