As a self-employed general contractor, Todd Michel is a high-energy person, working long hours on construction projects and managing the business. When he’s not working, he’s still on the go. You might find Todd mapping deep space as an amateur astronomer, competing in a fishing tournament or spending time with his wife and two adult daughters and their families.

That’s why he knew something was wrong a few years ago when he experienced a sudden, deep exhaustion that wouldn’t go away. Normally up to any challenge, Todd found himself short of breath and barely able to complete basic chores.

Fortunately, Todd’s annual wellness checkup with his primary care provider was already scheduled. His doctor ordered blood tests and a chest X-ray to determine the cause of Todd’s extreme fatigue.

Todd never had the chest X-ray. Instead, his blood test results indicated that he was dangerously anemic, which meant he was likely losing blood internally. A colonoscopy revealed a 3-centimeter tumor in his colon. Further testing showed that they had caught it early; cancer had not spread beyond the colon.

Within two days, Todd had an appointment with Dr. Steven Kelly of Aultman General Surgery to discuss removing part of his colon using robot-assisted surgery. Robot-assisted surgery is performed by a surgeon, not a robot. Using a da Vinci robot, the surgeon makes a few small incisions with long, thin instruments and a tiny camera. The camera sends images to a video monitor in the operating room to guide the surgeon during the operation.

Todd appreciated the way Dr. Kelly explained the upcoming surgery. “He was solid, upbeat and positive,” Todd said. “He showed me in a drawing exactly what he would do, and he explained why it needed to be done that way. I was eager to get it taken care of.”

Thanks to robot-assisted surgery, the experience was far easier than Todd had imagined it could be.

“I had just a few small incisions, and I was walking within two hours after they rolled me into my hospital room following the surgery,” Todd said. “By noon the next day, I was on my way home.”

Todd never needed pain medication at home. He had to take it easy for 10 days, but even at that point he had regained his energy. “My recovery was so smooth that friends came over with food, and we visited with them on the patio,” he said.

Todd was back to work within two weeks after the surgery. Today, he lives life to the fullest. He and his wife recently went on two photo safaris in Africa, and they are making plans to travel to the Swiss Alps next year. He also cherishes time with his two grandchildren, both under 1 year old.

His advice to anyone experiencing a similar medical journey is to ask a lot of questions. “Get a thorough explanation,” he said. “Dr. Kelly is great about explaining why the surgery is the way it is. He gave me a lot of confidence.”

And don’t put off seeing a physician if you think something’s wrong. “The anemia was the reason we caught the cancer early,” Todd said. “If you’re feeling unusually tired, get it checked out.”