Personal Best Therapy

If you're living with cancer, massage can still be part of your care. The right therapist makes all the difference. 💛

One of the questions I'm asked most by Oncology Patients is: "Can I still have a massage?"

For most people, the answer is yes. But it needs to be the right kind of massage, from someone trained to adapt it. Massage itself does not cause problems for Cancer patients. The old myth that it spreads cancer cells has long been debunked.

But Cancer and its treatments change how your body responds to touch. Surgery, chemo, radiotherapy and hormone therapy can all affect your skin, your energy, your blood counts, your sensation and your tolerance for pressure. A routine that felt lovely last year might not be safe, or comfortable, right now.

That's where oncology massage training comes in. In plain English, it means I know how to:

🟢 Adjust pressure, pace and technique to where you are in your treatment
🔵 Work safely around surgical sites, radiotherapy skin, ports and lines
🟡 Take extra care with areas affected by lymphoedema risk, neuropathy or fragile bones
🟣 Position you comfortably, even on the tough days
🟠 Know when to adapt, when to pause, and when to check in with your medical team

🩵 It also means you don't have to explain or justify yourself. You can just exhale.

Many of my clients tell me what they value most isn't the technique at all. It's having an hour where they're not a patient. They're just a person being looked after.

Whether you're in treatment, recovering, or supporting someone who is, you deserve care that fits you as you are today. Always check with your oncology team first, and I'm happy to liaise with them too.

If you'd like to talk it through, send me a message. No pressure, just a friendly chat. 🤍

I'm back at another Wellbeing Day at Newton Abbot Racecourse today.

Organised by the Lodge Cancer Support Centre in Torquay, the event is all about showcasing services that help and support Cancer Patients in South Devon.

A huge range of services are being represented here, from financial advice, to healthy eating, to being more active, and even wig services. Cancer patients are not alone, there is help available, whatever they need.

I'm here showing how Oncology aware soft tissue therapy can help patients reduce pain, increase relaxation and wellbeing, reduce the symptoms and physical impact of treatment, and I can help patients return to fitness after recovery.

The event is on until 1.30 today so pop down if you are interested.

After a great weekend of racing, of course I have those medal shoutouts!

First well done to Benji, who completed Torbay 10k and smashed his previous personal Best time by over 3 minutes. Coming in at just under 49 minutes, amazing result! 👏🎉

And second well done to Steve, who also smashed his race - Weymouth Half Ironman. He competed with his son and the two of them crossed the finish line together in 7 hours 14. This was Steve's first Ironman distance, and he did much better than he expected! 👏🎉

Congratulations to both chaps, and everyone else who raced on Sunday 🤩

I'm sure most of my followers are aware that today is Torbay Half Marathon day. But some of you may also know it's Weymouth Ironman too.

Both races hold a special meaning to me.

I've competed in Torbay Half several times and it was my first ever half marathon distance. I always enjoyed the race as running a familiar route made me feel more relaxed and less jittery!

Quite a different experience, I attended Weymouth Ironman back in 2015 as a massage therapist. In my whole career I've never worked such a long, physical, but rewarding day.

I was massaging competitors for 9 hours, almost non stop. But the demand was so high I didn't want to stop because every person in that queue had achieved something incredible. They were all exhausted, cold (the conditions were awful and it rained hard all day) and needing something to help them feel vaguely human again.

I was very newly qualified in 2015 and I remember the next day I had such bad cramp in my hands I could barely move them. But it was worth it. The last lady I treated that day, at just after 9pm, it was her 60th birthday and she had just completed her first ever triathlon... a full ironman... 70.3 miles! She was shivering, and I wrapped her in a blanket as she broke down in tears. She'll stay with me forever.

Races always mean something different to anyone competing them. For me it's never the ones who breeze through them. I'm in awe of the ones at the back. The ones who had to give everything they had to achieve something amazing that they'll feel proud of forever. I've been there, I know that feeling.

So good luck to everyone competing today. A special good luck to two PBT clients - Benji running Torbay 10k, and Steve, doing his first half ironman at Weymouth. Hopefully I'll have some medals to post tomorrow 🤞

Like I was going to turn down the opportunity to work at a local Red Roses game!

I was so excited to be on the Sandy Park medical team today and get to watch a great game between two world class teams.

Seeing Ellie Kildunne and Hannah Botterman in the flesh was obviously a bonus (my current rugby heroes!) 😀 🌹🌹🌹

When you make up your mind to do something, but then it feels like everything is working against you, what do you do?

Sometimes quitting just isn't an option!

I want to say a huge congratulations to one of the most tenacious clients I think I've ever had this week.

Last weekend Kerry completed the Great North Run. It wasn't the first time he'd done it. Kerry has been running a long time and when he signed up he was aiming for a new personal record of below 2 hours for completion.

But then Kerry got an injury. Not a serious one, but certainly one to put him way back in his training plan. Kerry asked me for help and I stepped in with some treatment, a rehab plan and also a brand new training plan that I hoped would help Kerry reach his goal.

Everything was going great... until Kerry got a completely different, unrelated injury!

Not taking quitting for an option, we began rehab all over again and Kerry began building up his running for the third time in just a few months.

Finally ready to race, albeit considerably slower than planned, Kerry came down with an infection, with just days to go.

After a valient effort, Kerry crossed the finish line in just 2 hours 49, and honestly, I couldn't be prouder of him. A bit slower than expected but given everything he had to deal with, an incredible achievement.

Kerry was raising money for Prostate Cancer UK, a charity with a lot of meaning to him, and all he kept saying was he couldn't let them down. 🩵

At the start he had decided this was possibly going to be his last half marathon race, but I have a strong suspicion he'll be back next year to get that personal record!

Well done Kerry 👏 👏👏 You have every reason to feel very chuffed with yourself!

Pretty nice view from the office today! A little bit of Mx Enduro and Mx sidecar racing - which is a first for me... absolutely crazy!

A big thank you to Dave at Custom Interiors & Covers SW for giving my tired old couch a new lease of life!

With a shiny new cover, it looks brand new again 🤩

🐾 Happy International Dog Day! 🐾

Many of my clients talk to me about their four legged friends and how they help them stay fit and active. So I couldn't let today go by without giving a shoutout to our four-legged wellbeing coaches.

Dogs really do so much for our health and fitness, whether we realise it or not.

🩵 Daily walks that get us moving (even when motivation is low).
💜 A reason to get outside and catch some daylight.
🧡 Company that lowers stress and lifts mood. 💚 Routine that keeps us grounded.

If you think about it, dogs quietly tick off several of the pillars I bang on about all the time – movement, stress reduction, and even better sleep (once they've worn themselves out, anyway!).

My own dog Zagi has definitely dragged me out the door on days I'd rather have stayed on the sofa, and I'm always glad he did.

So today, give your dog an extra treat, an extra fuss, or an extra lap of the park. They're doing more for your health than you might realise. 🐶💛