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Cichon Named Citizen Of Year

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By JOYCE McKENZIE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 27, 2008

TEMPLE TERRACE - The winner of the Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce's 2008 Citizen of the Year award found it "pretty shocking" just to be nominated, let alone be among the annual contest's three finalists.

Michael Cichon, a Temple Terrace physician who specializes in internal medicine and infectious diseases, said he was flabbergasted when he heard his name announced as winner of the chamber's most prestigious award during its 45th annual installation and awards dinner Thursday evening at the Museum of Science & Industry.

"I feel like I'm just going about my business and doing my thing, but it's nice somebody recognizes that and appreciates that," Cichon said.
Chamber director Cheri Donohue said the award's anonymous selection committee thought otherwise. They determined Cichon's "business" commitments go well beyond the norm to positively affect the quality of people's lives.

In 2005, Cichon founded the Clinic of Angels, a nonprofit organization that seeks donations to help chronically ill people across the globe pay for extensive and often financially draining medical treatments not covered by their insurance plans.

"It began out of the frustration of trying to get people well, only to have the rug pulled out from under them and me by their insurance companies," Cichon said, noting that earlier in the day he saw nine patients from throughout the country who suffered from Lyme disease, two of whom were denied treatment because of their insurance policies. "I was going to retire, but the Clinic of Angels is what keeps me going."

The Rev. Joseph Waters of Corpus Christi Catholic Church was one of the people who nominated Cichon.

"I'm so happy he won because he has done so much for our community, and he doesn't seek recognition," Waters said. "It's good to have someone of his character honored."

Cichon's professional and organizational affiliations include being a member of the American College of Physicians, the American Practitioners of Infection Control and serving with the Hillsborough County AIDS Task Force, the International AIDS Society and the International Lyme and Associated Disease Society.

"He has worked in our city for so many years, but the heartfelt letters of recommendation since his establishment of the Clinic of Angels won the judges over," Donohue said.

The two other finalists were Mel Jurado and Barbara Sparks-McGlinchy.

Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 865-4849 or jmckenzie@tampatrib.com.

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