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Updated: 5:27 AM EDT Sep 8, 2026Editorial Standards ⓘ
Jamie Azulay
Reporter
Updated: 5:27 AM EDT Sep 8, 2026Editorial Standards ⓘ
Jamie Azulay
Reporter
PORTLAND, Maine —
Tom McGowan of Windham was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2024. Now, he is running an app called HappyTrek to share the health and wellness practices he learned during treatment with the rest of the world
“It has a little bit of everything for mental, emotional and physical health,” McGowan said. He designed the app to inspire a simple approach to mental wellness. It’s free to download, with subscription plans available for more personalized guidance
“You can type in your location and get ideas for nature walks near you,” McGowan explained. “You can do yoga classes, meditation. You can type in, you know, something like a good habit you want to build, and it’ll tell you how to build that good habit.”
Those are all things he started incorporating into his wellness routine while battling that unexpected diagnosis. Spending a lot of time at MaineHealth and the Dempsey Center, he said he learned that mental wellness is not as complicated as it once seemed
He now enjoys yoga and meditation, sitting in a peaceful spot with calming sounds, and going on nature walks. HappyTrek is his way of sharing those tools with others
McGowan said, “I’ve realized a lot about cancer. It’s not just a boxing match that you win or lose. You can live with cancer and still do great things. The wellness app is kind of like my first start of that.”
He earned an MBA from Husson University and said he has always been creative and entrepreneurial, but web design and app building were new to him. He used his time during treatment to teach himself how it all works
HappyTrek launched in October 2025. Now, one year in, McGowan’s goal is to reach more people through individual downloads and organizations offering subscriptions as a health benefit, and to continue to teach people that wellness does not have to be complicated
He said, “It’s everything that helped me during my journey, not just made up.” McGowan has had a series of clear scans and is feeling well
