Mind over Matter: The Power of People
Have you ever had a day that you replay in your mind, over and over, trying to decide if it was real? For me, that was March 8, 2024, a week after my 41st birthday.?
“You Have Cancer”
I was actually in Las Vegas attending PPAI in January when I noticed a lump. I told my wife and I made an appointment with my doctor when I got home. I couldn’t get in for about a month. So in February, I went to see my doctor, who suggested getting a mammogram, even though he didn’t think the lump was anything to be concerned about.?
They scheduled a mammogram for another month out. I patiently waited, and my wife said she would take the day off to go with me. I told her that I could go alone, because teachers get such little time off and I thought it would be a pretty quick appointment. They performed the mammogram and then told me I had to get an ultrasound - right now. But that was all they said. Everyone in the room was silent, and it felt cold. They finished the ultrasound and sent me to another little room to wait. I texted my wife immediately and gave her an update. I remember texting her that I was worried something was wrong, but no one was saying anything. A nurse popped her head in and said, “oh, no one has come to talk to you yet?”. I said no. A few minutes later, a radiologist came in and said three words I will never unhear, “You Have Cancer”. Well, it was more like, “we think it is cancer”. They needed to schedule a lot more tests to confirm. I really don’t remember anything else that anyone said, I just knew I needed to get out of that tiny, cold, dark room.?
My wife was at work, and all I could think about was, why didn’t I listen to her and let her come with me? I was about 20 minutes from my house and she was at work. All I could get out was, “you need to come home”. She beat me home, and all I could do was park the car, stumble out and say, “they think it’s cancer”, through all the tears.?
The next month was honestly one of the most frustrating times. There’s a whole series of tests, procedures, and doctors visits that have to happen. My treatment plan, based on my stage of cancer, was going to be six rounds of chemotherapy, surgery, and 6 weeks of radiation.?
At this particular medical facility, one of the largest in the city that I live in, it felt very chaotic. There’s no one guiding you through what comes next, what tests and procedures you have coming up, no one checking on you, helping you navigate any of this. When I finally saw an oncologist, it felt like she was reading my paperwork while I was reading it.?
Compassion?
I was talking (complaining) to my mom one day and she suggested that I call MD Anderson. I didn’t know a lot about MD Anderson, other than it was a “pretty good” cancer hospital.?
I had no idea how good, or how much of a better experience I was in for. From the first phone call I made, it was a world of difference. Once my insurance was verified and accepted, I was immediately assigned a navigator, someone to walk me through the entire process. I had more doctor visits, but these doctors were warm and surprisingly, seemed very happy!? MD Anderson is a large hospital system in Houston, Texas. They have several campuses and when I was doing my intake, the case worker asked my address to find the closest one to me. The Woodlands is a 3 hour drive from our house - so deciding to seek cancer care here wasn’t a decision to be made lightly. My wife works, we have two kids, and three dogs, and our whole support system in Austin, Texas. But I knew that if I was going to give this the best fight, that I wanted the best team I could find.?
The Woodlands campus is about 45 minutes away from the main campus in Houston. When you first walk in, you are greeted immediately with a warm smile and a welcome. The facility is quiet, but bright, and doesn’t feel like a depressing place to be. Each specialty has so many nurses and assistants. My oncologist and my surgeon teams are incredibly well staffed. Each time I have had to go for tests or procedures, I feel very comfortable and calm. Everyone there makes you feel at ease, even though this is easily the most stressful thing I’ve ever done.?
Why MDA? The decision was pretty easy - the staff, the facility, the entire system is well thought out and with patient care at the top of the priority list. There’s a reason they are the number one facility and that people travel from all over the world to seek care here. This Wishing Tree sits in the waiting room when you go back for your mammogram. I finally wrote my own inspirational message on it the other day - because all of those messages stuck with me as my journey has gone on.?
A Helping Hand
That next month was a whirlwind, dealing with insurance and continuing to work and act as though life was normal, not knowing what was coming next. As my first chemotherapy session came closer, I had to start telling people. I had only told my boss after that March visit. I still remember when I told her and hearing the concern and compassion in her voice. I have always known how much Renya (and Dane) value each of us as individuals - but it is still nerve-wracking telling someone such news. When I met Renya initially, I knew that we were going to be friends/coworkers for a really long time. We text and talk all the time, outside of work, about our families, our kids, our futures. They welcomed us into their home (and also let my wife snuggle their youngest - how cute is that photo?!).?
She and Dane are just such fantastic people. They care about each one of us. Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for them, for working alongside them, and that I made the move to come here a year ago. They support me every time I have to be out of the office, and they have NEVER, not once, ever made me doubt my future here at Brand Aid. They’ve continued to empower me and lift me up on my hardest of days.?
I probably don’t have to tell you how much my family and friends have supported me and my family through all of this. Coworkers at my wife’s school put together a meal train, they supported her on the days she was out of the office. They’ve helped our kids on their rough days. If my wife can’t go, someone from our family attends every visit that I have to make to The Woodlands. My mom pays for hotels each time we go. My sister left me this message on my bathroom mirror (a little smeared by now, but I know what it says).
I have gotten greeting cards, prayer cards, texts, calls, packages, and flowers throughout this whole journey. My best friend of 27 years came to see me from Colorado. My friends wear pink to show their support for me during this fight. I never doubt for a moment that me and my family aren’t surrounded by love every day.?
One gift caught me totally off guard, but also meant the world to me. A few years ago, an old coworker/mentor of mine passed away after a long, long battle with cancer. A few other coworkers of ours sent me her scarf that she kept while battling cancer and a very sweet card. It says WARRIOR on it, and JoEllyn was every bit of that. The scarf hangs in my office so I see it every day. And every day I think of her, her family, and her warrior spirit. I hope I am making her proud in my cancer fight.?
I had a few weeks before my treatments started after I found out the plan, so we tried to fit in as much as we could. It was a scramble to squeeze a ton in at work and also in my personal life because I just didn’t know what the next few months would bring. This was the last family photo that I have hair!?
When I decided I was going to shave my head, my 10 year old son decided to grow his hair out until we were ready for our cuts. He had a huge puff of hair by then! Talk about an emotional afternoon. My wife shaved both our heads; a moment I will never forget. Our 8 year old daughter cried the entire time, before that everything had just been words, but now it was real. I started chemotherapy shortly after - here I am on the morning of my first session. I look back on that picture now and it truly seems like a lifetime ago. That person changed my life.
The Pink Revenue Generator?
As it is October, you have to live under a rock to not see the pink ribbons and pink merchandise out there. I will see this month differently every year moving forward. I’ve worked in promotional products for 19 years - so I have seen more merchandise than most people ever will! The gift shop in The Woodlands is located on the same floor as the infusion center, so you know I HAD to get myself some MD Anderson merchandise. I understand the power of a logo on a comfortable, quality t-shirt. I had to visit the big campus in downtown Houston recently - and I was so excited… not because I had to go downtown but because then I could visit the BIG merchandise store and get a few things! Of course I came out with a sweatshirt for me, a shirt for my wife, and some stuff for our kids. We will now always be proud to wear their merchandise out in the world, because they are world-class. In addition to supporting them through merchandise, there are other ways to help as well. You can donate to organizations like:
Local programs like CareBox that provide free supplies to cancer patients
Wonders and Worries that provide free therapy sessions for children and teens (our kids attended and it helped tremendously)?
And if you wish to do something other than donating and you know someone battling cancer - sending a simple text, phone call or card always touches the recipient, and means way more than you will ever know.?
The Lessons Learned?
I am not the same person I was before March 8, 2024. I have had a lot of time to step back and look at my life, my values, my goals. I have always enjoyed what I do for a living, that’s why I have stayed in this industry for my entire career. I have had a lot of impactful female mentors that have helped me get to where I am today. This period in my life has taught me a lot about relationships, both at home and at work. I believe that I have contributed to and continue to lead my team towards our individual and company goals. I have worked the entire time through chemotherapy, and will continue after surgery and through radiation. And not because I am a workaholic, or my boss is making me, or the company would fall apart without me. I have continued to work because it kept my mind and my hands busy and not focusing on all the difficult changes I was going through. It was easy to log on and see my coworkers' smiling faces every day. They all kept encouraging me as my hair fell out, on my tired and fatigued days, and when it would have been easy to just stay in bed. My wife, kids and family are MY reason, but knowing that for 40 hours during the week I was supported by my coworkers has meant the world to me.?
What does this have to do with promo??
Everything.?
At Brand Aid, our mantra is “HOW YOU DO ANYTHING IS HOW YOU DO EVERYTHING”. It means so much to us, that it’s the first page in our capabilities deck.?
We weave it into every aspect of our business. Whether we are hiring, on-boarding, quoting clients, preparing and presenting decks, or just chatting with clients, we hold our mantra near to our heart.
I oversee our hiring efforts, and there is one question I get consistently - what sets Brand Aid apart? And my answer is always the same - people first.?
People first.?
Regardless of how we know you - a current or prospective client or coworker, a supplier, a FedEx driver, if we interact with you, we want you to feel important. Valued. Seen. Heard. That is our culture.?
When I was going through the first month (before I sought care at MD Anderson), and everything felt chaotic, I just felt like a number. I did not feel important and I did not feel seen. My care at MD Anderson has been a completely different experience, a world-class experience. One day while I was sitting in my chemo chair, I was glancing through my emails (six hours is a long time in one chair), and checking my Slack messages, reading what the team was up to.
And it dawned on me that my team here makes people feel like they are getting a world class experience. They certainly make me feel that way and I know our clients do too. It’s why we have legacy clients that have been with us for more than a decade. It’s why so many people reach back out to us once they’ve switched jobs. It’s why our latest NPS scores all showed extremely satisfied clients. We do a (truly!) anonymous survey through our people platform every month, and every month it asks “I would recommend Brand Aid as a great place to work”. Seeing a 100% positive rating there gave the management team a huge smile when we read that. It’s what we strive for, all the time.?
Who you work for, who you work with, and who you want doing work for you, are all extremely important.?
I thank all of our clients and customers for being loyal fans of ours.?
I thank our staff for being world class people. I always say, we hire the person, and not the resume. I know we can teach people technical skills. I can’t teach someone to be a good human being.?
My cancer journey continues, but I feel so thankful that it keeps going. Here are some pictures from my sixth and final chemo session and how I look today. That’s my chemo nurse, Jeff. He did every one of my six sessions - and he is a world class human! He never made it feel scary, and kept us laughing along the way.
But the picture that means the absolute most to me is this one. I was able to ring the bell, with my wife, our two kids, my mom in attendance, and our family on Facetime. I will treasure and be thankful for them always.?
Ringing Out
Ring this bell
Three times well?
Its toll to clearly say,?
My treatments done
The course is run
And, I am on my way!
-Irve Le Moyne-