Armie Mechem

Armiedelle Mechem, (everyone calls her Armie) was born in Tulare and grew up in Delano. After graduating from Delano High School, she attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo and majored in Marine Biology. After graduation, she moved to Monterey and worked four jobs, including her dream job at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. After many years of working in Monterey, God spoke to her one day and said that she needed to go home to Delano. As much as she loved living in Monterey, there was no question; she had to go home. She began working for DUESD in 2006. She married later in life and has four beautiful boys, two of which have special needs, Autism and Down Syndrome. In October 2021, she began having bleeding that was not normal for her. She had exams, ultrasounds, bloodwork, two hormone therapies and a biopsy with results indicating that her health was "all good" and anything that had been found was benign. Soon after, she went in for a simple hysterectomy, but during the surgery, her doctor had to stop as he discovered a mass he could not bypass. Knowing that it could be cancer, Armie was referred to an OB Oncologist. Four weeks later, she had to go back to surgery for a total and complete hysterectomy that also removed the large tumor. Her doctor was certain that he had removed the entire mass; however, two weeks later, she discovered that she had to go back for another surgery. The doctor discovered that tissue remained and that her margins were still positive. Since this is such aggressive cancer, another surgery was the best option. Armie is blessed with a fantastic support system, and working for DUESD has given her a plethora of amazing and wonderful co-workers in several schools within the district whom she can really call friends. Armie thanks her family and friends for all their support and encouragement.