At Spa Order, we’re proud supporters of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.®, and we’re committed to raising awareness and providing support for those impacted by breast cancer.

As a female-led company, this cause is especially close to our hearts, with several employees, including our Vice President of Product Management, Megan Henken, personally affected.


Megan is one of the 8 million breast cancer survivors in the United States, and her incredible journey of strength, resilience, and positivity continues to inspire us every day—and we hope it will inspire you, too.

Here’s an exclusive interview with Megan, where she shares her powerful story:

>> Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your breast cancer journey?

M: My name is Megan Henken, and I am the Vice President of Product Management at Delasco. 

Anyone that ever asks me if I enjoy my job always gets a very quick and enthusiastic “Yes, I love it!” from me. 
Launching new products is extremely fun and rewarding. You end up pouring your heart and soul into new products that you launch, spending years researching the product, understanding the industry, getting feedback and opinions from customers, and mulling over details like which pantone color to use (even when no one else can tell the difference). 

The absolute best feeling in the world is when your product is finally on the market, and you get the opportunity to hear from people about how it helped make their job easier or an experience more pleasant for a patient.

Because I love my job so much, work has always been a huge part of my life.  I never complained working overtime or flying all over the country. When I went to sleep, I would have dreams (or nightmares!) about work situations.  My career truly felt like a 24/7 experience for me. I am lucky enough to have an amazing husband, an 8 year old son, a 6 year old daughter, and a very energetic and attention-seeking dog.  While I work hard, I always make sure to find time for them.

 

In October 2021, my life changed forever. I first found the lump the night before a work trip to Canada. As soon as I felt it, I knew. My husband did his best to try to calm my nerves, but my Dad had been telling me my entire life how critical it was to check. There was a strong history of breast cancer in my family. There was no doubt in my mind what it was.

The rest of my cancer experience is a bit of a blur.  I remember I made it my personal mission to find control over whatever I could when it felt like I no longer was holding the reins on my own life. 

I regularly called to move appointments up, traveled to hospital systems further away to get testing done sooner, and begged to do procedures all in one day that were typically spread out more.  I remember throwing up.  A LOT.  I made the decision to work through both chemo (8 infusions, each 2 weeks apart) and radiation (every day Monday through Friday for two months).

The only days I took off were when I was getting the infusions themselves and when I physically was unable to remove myself from the bathroom floor.  I remember turning off my camera in a virtual work call to throw up in my garbage can and immediately turn my camera back on like nothing had happened.

Most cancer survivors will tell you that you never truly feel like your cancer journey has “ended”, but the milestone I find myself using is when I completed my reconstruction surgery in January 2023. 

That April I resigned from the company I had worked at for 11 years to come to Delasco.  There aren’t too many positives about getting cancer, but one thing I will always be thankful for was a new ability to see my life with complete clarity. 

My career will always be important to me, but my family and health are number one, and now all decisions that I make are with that fact in the forefront.  Being in product management at Delasco was a true fit for me – I get to do the same work that I love for a company that I’m proud to work for, but with more work life balance. 

My cup is full knowing that I get to prioritize my family, continue with my passion of launching new products, and help fight against a disease that impacted my life so much.

>> What did this experience teach you about yourself, and how has it changed your outlook on life?

M: As I mentioned before, going through a life crisis like a cancer diagnosis gives you clarity like you’ve never imagined. One of those points of clarify for me was seeing myself in a new light. My entire life I’ve been told by friends and family how much they admire my strength, but I had never seen myself that way. After going through my cancer treatment, I was for the first time able to recognize my own strength. I was and am so proud of how hard I advocated for myself, of how I didn’t let the cancer diagnosis affect my positivity, and of how I refused to let it dictate my life.

I’m also proud of what came after.  Obviously, I wish that I had never gotten cancer, but it impacted my life in so many positive ways as well. Pre-cancer Megan put herself at the absolute bottom of the priority list - behind work, behind what feels like the million activities that my kids were in, and behind my husband. 

I think back at everything that happened and have so many questions for myself. 

Why did I not cancel my work trip when I found the lump? 

When my boss called in between the mammogram and ultrasound, why did I pick up? And why did I talk for 10 minutes? 

Why did I not take more advantage of the short-term disability plan I was presented with? 

And how on earth was puking during a work call and then continuing with the call not a huge red flag?

I now put myself and my health much higher on the priority list, and it has enriched my life in ways I never could have imagined.

My New Year’s resolution for 2023 was to not have any regrets about not doing things, and I’ve never fully embraced a New Year’s resolution more in my life.  In 2023 I quit my job after 11 years to start a new one with more work life balance (a HUGE thank you to Delasco for taking me in), went on my first spring break trip since high school, coached my son’s soccer team for the first time, road tripped to St Louis to spend time with college friends, joined a volleyball league, went on my first girls trip in 10 years, joined a workout facility for the first time in 10 years, took a winter trip for the first time since high school, and vacationed with my husband’s whole family for the first time.  

And I’m proud to say that to this day I’m continuing to prioritize myself with the same energy.

Another positive that came out of cancer is that I’m now able to spread awareness about early detection and have been able to support loved ones going through similar experiences. 

>> What message would you share about the importance of early detection and self-care?

M: I want to end on this. Whatever you have going on in your life probably feels (and potentially is) important. 

But NOTHING, and I mean nothing, is more important than your health. 
So please, don’t blow off those annual physicals. If you hit the age benchmark to get mammograms, make the appointment. And if something feels off, get it checked out. Don’t make the call next month or next week or tomorrow. Make the call today.  

It could save your life – it saved mine.

Whether you or a loved one is impacted, visit our partner, 
>> National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.® <<
for valuable resources and support.