Meet Barbara
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Barbara had polio as a child and breast cancer as an adult, but she doesn’t let that stop her.
As a child in 1954, Barbara contracted polio. Massage therapy helps her deal with the many ramifications of that disease that continue to affect her to this day.
She started massage therapy in the hospital as a child as part of her polio treatment, and continued with massage therapy at home for muscle activation, and later at boarding school for severe muscle spasms. The results have always been positive for her.
“Massage therapy allows you to relax in a neutral environment,” Barbara said. “Tense muscles, knotted muscles, muscles in spasm are dealt with in a professional manner and [it can] alleviate the tension experienced allowing you to have a better night’s sleep.”
Barbara is a retired teacher with a passion for sports – so much so that she studied physical education before becoming a teacher. Her favourite sport is swimming, and her proudest achievement in this sport was when she was chosen as a second for a Canadian swimmer at the Pan Am games of 1969. She still enjoys swimming today.
Her second favourite sport is downhill skiing, and she ran after school ski programs at various schools for over 25 years. Other sports she practices include tennis, paddle ball, volleyball, ping pong, badminton, rowing, sailing, kayaking and canoeing. She enjoys being active and has never hesitated to try various sports even with her physical handicap.
“I know my limits and have learned to respect them,” Barbara explained. “Have I ever overstepped my boundaries, yes, and the consequences were usually debilitating.”
Barbara continues with massage therapy in part to maintain the positive results she’s seen from past treatments. She found positive results from massage therapy again when she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in her fifties.
Her cancer treatment included a lumpectomy, the maximum amount of radiation, and five years of a chemotherapy drug that caused major inflammation all over her body. She found massage therapy beneficial for all of these issues.
“I used massage therapy for scar tissue release, lymphatic drainage and for the effects of stress,” she said. “I did not listen to the warnings that doing this would spread the cancer.”
Barbara did her research and realized that massage therapy was a completely safe and effective option to treat the symptoms she was experiencing as a result of her cancer treatments. She recommends that anyone seeking massage therapy treatment do their research in advance to make themselves feel more comfortable.
“Give yourself a day to recognize the benefits of that massage,” Barbara suggested. “Give your therapist a chance to come to know your body and its requirements.”
Barbara hopes to continue with massage therapy treatment for as long as possible because she keeps seeing positive benefits.
“I continue to use massage therapy for scar tissue release, lymphatic drainage and a means of controlling stress to my muscles,” she said.
As long as Barbara continues to experience those benefits, massage therapy will be a part of her regular health care.