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FORT WAYNE — Stacey Filler remembers the restless nights spent lying awake in her hospital bed.
She remembers the tossing and turning — the steroid-induced insomnia.
She remembers the doctors who worked frantically to concoct a regiment of treatment that would kill the leukemia attempting to consumed her.
But relief for Filler, 38, came from her coworkers at A Day Away Salon and Spa.
"When I was sick some of my coworkers came and gave me massage in the hospital and it just made me feel so much better," said Filler, who has been a massage therapist nine-plus years. "It alleviated a lot of pain and nausea. It actually helped me be able to sleep; it helped me be able to relax."
Now Filler, with her leukemia in remission for more than two years, is part of a group of 23 massage therapists from the area who aim to help past and present cancer patients and their caregivers.
Caring Touch Massage Therapy is a program of Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana that will provide 345 individual massage appointments through the end of November.
The program is funded through a two-year INSPIRE grant from the Foellinger Foundation, according to Gail Hamm, program director at Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana.
The $25,000 grant allowed the advocacy group to bring in nationally recognized trainer Tracy Walton at a discounted rate. Area massage therapists paid $150 for a three-day training seminar and, in exchange, volunteered for 12 free hours of patient massages.
"There's so much stress from the time you hear you have the diagnosis — massage helps stimulate the immune system so you're starting to have your own body help itself heal," said Hamm, who also is a breast cancer survivor. "I think the whole idea of human touch, feeling cared for does a lot to relax a person and it really sometimes becomes a spiritual experience."
Cancer services helps about 3,000 cancer patients and their families in Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Kosciusko, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wabash, Wells and Whitley counties. Part of the Caring Touch Massage Therapy program is to allow patients the ability to relax.
"With cancer treatment the top five things that they are concerned about are fatigue, nausea, anxiety, depression and pain," said Jennifer Carroll, a Fort Wayne massage therapist who got involved because she wanted to learn from Walton. "Studies show that massage helps to decrease anxiety and decrease pain through shared experience, and from what some clients say, it helps with everything else too."
Current clients and their caregiver can call Cancer Services at (260) 484-9560 to schedule a massage. There are no limits to the amount of free massages, Hamm said. Listen to an audio excerpt of Hamm's interview. Hear more of Carroll's audio interview here.
A local cancer patient who isn't registered with Cancer Services can receive one free oncology massage and may receive additional free massages after they enroll with Cancer Services.
Soft light fills the massage room at Cancer Services, 6316 Mutual Dr., while pictures of brightly colored flowers offset the light blue walls.
Music of flowing water, birds chirping and other natural sounds invites the massage client in for an intimate opportunity — a chance to be free of their care and worry.
"I know some people still have in their mind that massage is not really good for cancer patients — the fear was that we might spread it," said Filler, who was incorrectly told during her training that massage can spread cancer. "I think the fact that I've had cancer, I think that will help ease some worries, give a little bit of peace of mind."
Cancer is a family disease that also can take a devastating toll on the loved ones surrounding a patient.
This is why caregivers are eligible for free massage.
"I know how stressed my family was going through this with me," Filler said.
The program will need more funding and volunteers to continue and Hamm said there are 20 massage therapists waiting to undergo more training.
"We want this to be a stable program. We're looking at things that will assist the medical doctors with chemo radiation surgery by optimizing people's health," Hamm said. "All we have to do is come up with some more money and train some more people."
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