By: Yvette Deniset BA MNRM MYCC UMTC CNLPT CCMT RCRT

From a very young, I remember my mother talking about the connection of our systems and when we suffered various aches or pains, she would tell us which reflex to compress.  So, when I took Canine Massage Therapy and was reintroduced to reflexology, my interest was piqued once again.  I found RAC online, found a teacher and started on a new career path.  It wasn’t hard to find volunteers for the 60 case studies, but one of them stands out from the crowd.

I have known Chris for many years. Our boys started playing hockey together when they were 5, and still are now, at 14.  Life is busy, as we all know, and this was no exception.  Trying to find time to meet was proving very difficult.  Then, things changed….in February of 2015, Chris suffered a stroke.  After much time spent in the hospital, she was allowed to come home, and the road to recovery began.  She was partially paralyzed on her left side but slowly regained the ability to walk.  I asked her if she would still be interested and she immediately replied yes, anything to aid in her recovery.

The first treatment was nothing stellar, she had many question and I was more than happy to tell her everything that I knew.  We rescheduled and did it again…however, after making an appointment for a third treatment she cancelled.  I thought I had scared her and was going over everything and anything I could have said that caused this.  A few days later, Chris called me and asked me to come again; she had noticed changes after the previous treatments.  She then explained to me that at first, when she experienced any tenderness on any reflex, it meant she had another illness or it was a sign that she was going to get sick again.  Once you have had an experience like this, she said, there is always a nagging thought in the back of your mind that it will happen again.  However, she then told me that, when I gave her a treatment, she could feel it through her whole body, head to toe and that her paralyzed side would tingle, a sign that some feeling was returning!  It was so exciting to hear, but when she added that she was able to use her toes on the left foot for up to 5 hours after treatment, I was thrilled.  Her therapists have noticed the increased mobility on her left side and her rehab is going really well.

I continue to see Chris weekly and now she is one of my case studies for the hand course.  She continues to experience tingling sensations through the left side during and after treatments.  One of her physiotherapists noticed an increased sensitivity to stimuli applied to the left foot and increased mobility in the left arm and hand.  Chris firmly believes this is due to reflexology and so do I.

Working with Chris had been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life and has confirmed for me that I made the right career choice.