“If anyone can testify to the benefits of a chair massage for people undergoing chemotherapy, and even for their loved ones, it's me.”

I’m telling you this not just as a nurse, but also as a mother. Fate decided that I received my own 19-year-old-son on the oncology ward where I work, at Sorel Hospital.

He had always been so cheerful, but cancer had literally transformed him. He had so much pain and anger that he found it extremely difficult to relax. And as if that wasn’t enough, he was very sick during his treatments.

But one day, the Quebec Cancer Foundation came into our lives.

The Hospital had arranged for a massage therapist with specialized training in oncology to provide free chair massages to our patients. My colleagues and I couldn’t hide how happy it made us. We were excited because we knew how appreciated this service would be.

Yet it was the mother in me who felt the most profound benefits.

I saw a difference from the first massage. He was calmer, more peaceful. He even managed to rest for the remainder of the day, something that had not happened since the beginning of his treatments.

Just like my son, the other patients are also calmer and more relaxed. It is as if, even hours after the massage, they were still up there on their little cloud. And being more relaxed means less tension and less pain.

My wish as a nurse? That every Quebecer undergoing chemotherapy will be able to benefit from these chair massages during their treatment. My wish as a mom? That all young people with cancer are able to receive the support that their mothers alone cannot provide.

In both cases, I know I can count on the Quebec Cancer Foundation and its community, of which you are a part.