Back to Life

- As told to Craig Outhier

THEY TELL ME I WAS CONSCIOUS when the firefighters used the Jaws of Life to pull my broken body from the wreckage, but I don't remember any of it-not the firefighters, not the ride to the emergency room, and certainly not the crash itself.

Here's what I do remember

The months of physical therapy that followed and the aching fear that I'd never be able to use my right hand again. Ultimately, I did regain use of my hand, and I have massage therapy to thank for it.

Back in 2001, before embarking on my current career in marketing, I had to work two jobs to make ends meet-office support during the day, waitressing at night. Needless to say, it was exhausting. One night, I was so tired after finishing my shift that I dozed of behind the wheel, veering left across three freeway lanes. My care plowed into a street-sweeper at 65 miles per hour.

I still feel immensely fortunate to have survived, body from ankle to hip. The greater long-term damage was to my right arm and shoulder, also shattered. I was left with severe damage to the ulnar nerve near my elbow. Even a er months of physical therapy, I had no strength in my wrist. I could grasp things, but I couldn't articulate in a waving motion. My wrist was essentially useless. On the advice of my therapist, I started alternating my treatment with twice-monthly sessions at Massage Envy. The results were profound. After a few months of deep nerve stimulation, I could feel movement come back to my hand. By nine months, I was fully mobile.

Today, I still feel numbness from time to time, but a session with my Massage Envy therapist picks me right up. I love that Massage Envy is affordable-my insurance no longer covers my treatment, and for me, massage is not a luxury but a necessity. I also love that I can laugh when my nephew gives me a toy street-sweeper as a gift. Massage therapy did more than heal my arm. It healed my smile.