Mike Arce
The holiday season can be a magical time, filled with warmth and cheer. While I relish all that the holidays have to offer (outside of the bitter cold and loads of snow Wisconsin is blessed with at times), how I view the holidays has changed throughout the years.
As a young child, this time of year found me obsessed with what was awaiting underneath the tree. When there were no adults in the house, I would lead my younger brother in a covert operation. We would work to carefully pull back the Scotch tape on our presents to get a glimpse of what was hidden – refolding the wrapping paper and hoping the tape still stuck afterwards. I’m not sure how stealthy our efforts were, but we were convinced they went unnoticed.
Once I hit my teen years, I no longer unwrapped and rewrapped my gifts. At that point, my relatives were desperate to know what I wanted; shopping for a teenager isn’t the easiest thing (as I’m now learning courtesy of my 13-year-old son). I predicted which gifts would make it off my Christmas list and find their way under our tree. Before I had my gifts in hand, often I was already anticipating the benefits of theoretical ownership.
Then came college. The holiday weeks were more about finishing that last final and finding a ride back up north to reunite with my family and high school friends. I didn’t worry about the presents that the holiday time would bring. My anticipation turned instead to what the new year would bring for me academically, professionally, and personally. The weight of the new year and the future became more important to me with each passing year.
Now that I’m (quite) a bit older, while I’m still pegged as a planner, this time of year tends to be more of a reflective time than it used to be, filled with nostalgia.
As Christmas draws closer, I am taken back to the Christmas of 1994 – the last one spent with my dad before glioblastoma would take him away from his family less than six months into the new year. I don’t even need to close my eyes to picture his cheerful face when he opened each of his gifts, including an antique clock my mother gave him that now sits on my bedroom dresser. The joy that emerged from his eyes, his smile, and his laugh – while likely knowing that this Christmas would be his last with us – is etched in my memories. And that antique clock is a daily reminder for me of how precious a gift time truly is.
Because of my dad and his death, I learned to not be constantly fixated on what is happening next. My happiness is no longer tied solely to the next big thing about to happen in my life. I learned the importance of enjoying the present and cherishing the past – a balanced perspective of my time here.
This past year has been action-packed. From the personal perspective, I joined Moxe Health in October and jumped into the busy, ever-fresh environment that a start-up company offers. The year of 2016 burst with activity as it relates to healthcare and healthcare information technology with changes across the political, legal, and commercial realms. And 2017 appears ready to follow suit.
While all of us here at Moxe look forward to 2017 and the opportunities that a new year brings, we fondly close the chapter on 2016. From our perspective, this past year has brought success and a renewed purpose to what we do, and we are grateful for all that has been.
We are privileged to work with wonderful people – our customers, our colleagues, and one another. Each and every day, our discussions with our customers and colleagues get our wheels turning, cooking up ideas of how we can work together with people from all corners of the healthcare industry. We truly have a crazy, fun crew here at Moxe. Even on the busiest of days, the humor, collaboration, and respect that plays out in the office and on the video calls keeps us energized, motivated, and happy.
We are fortunate to be able to do work that is impactful – for providers and payers, and most importantly, the patients whom they serve. Many of us have very personal reasons for working in healthcare and for focusing on integration and interoperability. We’ve witnessed the positive impact technology can bring to the care of our family members, friends, and ourselves. We’ve also experienced how inadequate clinical data sharing negatively impacts the delivery of healthcare – spanning the spectrum from a mere annoyance of having to retell a health history for the sixth time in two weeks to a significant hindrance in receiving the proper diagnosis or adequate care.
We are blessed to have others who believe in our vision and support us in our endeavors – our families, our collaborators, and our financial partners. Throughout the past year, we wouldn’t be where we are today without the support of our families and people from a wide array of companies with whom we have collaborated. In addition to all the support they have provided us, both emotionally and intellectually, we also are thankful for those who have supported us monetarily with the raising of Series A financing this past year, helping us to start off 2017 with a bang.
It’s been a great year here for us at Moxe, so from all of us, thank you! May your new year be filled with happiness and prosperity, but may you, too, enjoy all the wonderful moments the holidays bring this season and cherish those memories going forward.