Testimonials
We are proud to say OMA therapists have touched over 8,000 patients, caregivers and medical staff since we've been in existence starting in 2010 and hope to continue doing so. Each person we meet in the infusion room has such a special story and each one that we reach out to touches us deeply. By providing compassionate touch and a safe space for that person to simply relax, talk or just close their eyes and feel another’s gentle touch is a great honor for us to connect with them and give them hope to just believe in their future. Here are some of their stories.
The therapist recognized a male patient as a friend of her husbands. He was about to receive his first chemotherapy for a rare, aggressive bone cancer. The therapist is massaging he hands when his caretaker comes back. The therapist is introduced and the man says;
“I know you – about a year ago I was a patient here and you gave me a foot massage. That was the point where everything changed for me. I no longer felt like a number here and I changed the way I viewed my care and the people that were here to help me. I have never forgotten that foot rub and what it meant to me.”
“All my life I have had hyper sensitivity in my hands and feet. I could not walk on the beach or play in the mud. Then I went through 5 months of chemotherapy treatment. One of the side effects is neuropathy in the hands and feet. At first my hands and feet went totally numb. I started getting weekly massages on both and in only four months after my last chemo I got ‘feeling’ back in both. My sensitivities were much reduced and last weekend I got to spend the whole weekend walking on the beach like a normal person!”
The OMA therapist team have been instrumental in improving our patient’s well-being and comfort and their service is a tremendous asset for our practice.
The massage therapist is an angel. What a gift to receive such expert care and attention – and free of charge, too! I haven’t felt this good since I started chemo – please thank her for me.
Receiving the massage was a godsend. My hands and feet felt better than I can remember since I started chemo and the therapist was so kind and gentle.
Wow! I forgot where I was. Thanks!
This is the best thing about chemo!
I massaged a woman on her last day of chemo. She said, “I saw you on my first day and this is my last day. I was so glad you gave me a foot massage my first day. It really helped alleviate my anxiety and stress. I didn’t know what to expect, and it was so great to get a foot massage.
Just wanted to pass along that I had a patient tell me she wanted to schedule her chemo time based on when Oncology Massage Alliance Therapists would be in our clinic :). THANKS for the amazing work you all do here!!!
A couple who celebrated their 60 wedding anniversary. I have been working on them since I started volunteering. He initially said no to me for a massage. So I went on to work on others, when he stopped me and asked if he could change his mind.
I told him I would be happy to work on him. I worked on his feet. He said thank you. As I got to know them, he told me about his neuropathy in his feet because of the Chemo. They also told me that they would be celebrating their anniversary soon at Glacier National Park, where they met. She asked me to show her how to work on his feet, because it seemed to be helping with his neuropathy. I worked on her and told her what I was doing.
They went on their trip. They had the biggest smiles on their faces when they came back! He was able to hike 3 miles a day! She told me that massaging each other’s feet gave them some very personal quality time that they enjoyed immensely! They both were gushing with their Thanks. I told them the smiles on their faces were thanks enough.
She is 73 and he is 83.