Michelle D. Franko

Receptionist

Michelle was born in Lockport, NY and moved to the Irish Hills of Michigan when she was two years old. By the age of 4 she was learning to cook authentic Hungarian dishes at the family owned restaurant, Grez's Hungarian Village, in Detroit, Michigan. She is a graduate of Riverview Community High School where she played flute and trumpet in the marching, symphony and jazz bands, ran track & field and played volleyball. 

Upon completing her undergrad work at Wayne State University Michelle furthered her education at the Kresge Eye Institute and obtained her diploma as a Certified Ophthalmic Technician. Michelle continued working in the great state of "Maize and Blue" until 1988 when she moved to Las Vegas, NV to join Ophthalmic Associates and, later, the Shepherd Eye Center. 

In Las Vegas Michelle continued her quest for knowledge at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas expanding her major in English. She became the director of the Southwest Eye Procurement Center, a division of the Nevada Donor Network obtaining the following certificates: Certified Eye Bank Specialist, Certified Bone Bank Specialist and Certified C-LASIK Operator, and had her first paper published in the "Journal of Ophthalmic Technicians". Michelle also continued her tennis career while in Las Vegas, playing for the Desert Inn tennis team. 

In 1995 Michelle left the rugged west to return to the sultry south moving to Stone Mountain, Georgia where she spent seven years working with the ophthalmologists of Eye Physicians & Surgeons. It was then that she began working with exotic birds and opened Blue Moon Aviaries. Michelle was published again in "Bird Talk" magazine for an article that she wrote on her African Grey Parrot, Bouncer. 

After over 20 years in human medicine Michelle crossed over veterinary medicine in 2004 when she moved to Kannapolis, NC. She has been with China Grove Animal Hospital since June of 2004. You will see her as you walk in the door, greeting you and your pet. You may also find Michelle doing various technician tasks, assisting Dr. Vaughan and doing laundry (yes, we all take turns washing and folding). 

Michelle is currently owned by 2 American Staffordshire Terriers (Rosie & Miracle) and 2 Congo African Grey Parrots (Bouncer & Noel aka; Peep Peep). She enjoys playing tennis, gardening, cross-stitch and wildlife observation. Michelle has one brother, Alex, who is a physician in Michigan. Her grandmother still lives in Riverview and her mother is currently an Optician in Las Vegas.