Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/68012
CHARITABLE HEARTS AND HANDS While monetary donations are always effective, volunteering time and service—in any realm—is the type of charitable giving that can create lasting change for the giver and the recipient. Scratch below the surface of the massage profession and you'll see this type of giving in action. For some massage therapists, working with the underserved creates balance. For others, it creates dreams. Following are a few of their stories. SEEING THE BEAUTY WITHIN: SUSAN LALLAK Indiana massage therapist Susan Lallak says she remembers well the day her professional life grew to include volunteer work. When she saw a group of homeless people receiving goods from a donation truck one morning, her charitable purpose came to light. Now Lallak spends several hours each week giving massage services to those less fortunate in her Indiana community. As a volunteer with the Visiting Nurse Service (VNS), Lallak makes weekly visits to the terminally ill, financially deprived patients at Abbie Hunt Bryce Home (AHBH). "My role is to bring comfort and relief and to reduce stresses that are a part of coping with terminal illness on a daily basis," she says. For a client struggling with end- of-life issues and severe financial strain, caring professionalism in a safe, dignified, and respectable environment is needed. That's what Lallak tries to bring to this group of clients. "It is an awesome experience to freely offer the gift of touch to the underserved people who need it most." Alternative Healthcare Access Campaign volunteer Pamela Alt massages a client. Lallak's stories of success at AHBH are all treasured experiences. There was the man who, in his final days, chose massage over his pain medication. Clearly in pain upon her arrival, the patient asked Lallak not to call the nurse for his meds, but to proceed with the massage as planned. "He had tears in his eyes and I knew that would be the last time I saw him—and it was." Or there's the client who found simple comfort in Lallak's hands. "She had a huge release of tension as soon as I first laid my hands on her. I commented that she doesn't get pampered enough. She said, 'No one will touch me anymore.' That really tugged at my heart." Lallak understood in that instant that her touch might be the only comfort this woman had to hold on to. Lallak appreciates that it's not always easy for some people to be around the dying, and the stereotypes we create in our minds can often be frightening, but people are just people. "These people are you and I. They may have had a difficult life, or perhaps made some bad choices, but they are just as human as the rest of us. They are loving, giving, and appreciative people that I am so glad to have as a part of my life." She says offering kind, gentle touch to this underserved group, especially when they have never had massage before, is a special experience. "Although I know what I do helps them, these people have all touched me on a personal, professional, and human level. It has opened my eyes to the internal beauty of humans." Lallak says serving others in need is a powerful thing. "Massage work for these clients is like heaven to them and blessings to us. Consider donating a couple of hours once or twice a month to make a difference 84 massage & bodywork march/april 2009