Some kind words from our clients, their caregivers, and friends.
Being diagnosed with cancer is like waking up and finding yourself on one of the scariest roller coasters you can imagine. From the minute the word is spoken, your entire world changes. You are shot out of the starting gate, barely strapped in, and this colossal hill looms in front of you. You are tossed about as you speed through twists and turns, and if you are lucky enough to have someone sitting next to you, you grab on tight. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January of 2021. The first few months were a blur of doctors’ appointments,…
My partner, Simon, was a hospice patient whom I was caring for at home. He was in steady decline and unable to sleep due to anxiety and pain related to his leukemia. I reached out to The Hand to Heart Project, and Steve agreed to come to New London. But before he was able to, Simon was hospitalized and died shortly thereafter. A component of Hand to Heart allows for caregiver massage, and this was offered to me instead. A truly skilled and caring therapist came to my home and she gave me a very relaxing, very-much-needed massage three days…
My name is Janette and I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2018. To say I was in shock is an understatement. I was healthy – I ate kale and drank lots of water. My journey began at Norris Cotton Cancer Center with a great team of doctors who were all on the same page to get me healthy again and beat this awful disease. As I was sitting in my oncologist’s office, I noticed a brochure for The Hand to Heart Project. It immediately grabbed my attention as I believe we need to treat the whole person during…
I had the good fortune to be connected with The Hand to Heart Project immediately after my diagnosis of breast cancer. At the time I was 35, and though I had had many massages before, I was surprised by how big a difference it made in my process to have the support of trained massage therapists. Of course, those are not the circumstances I wanted, but what a relief it was to be able to get massage work free of charge while I processed the diagnosis, healed from the surgery, and dealt with the beginning of long-term treatment. The organization is…
It feels impossible to find the right words to describe what your presence did for Renee and for me as her primary caregiver during those last weeks of her life. I know we both found tremendous peace whenever you were there. Renee was so skeptical about you to begin with since she had trust issues with men, but that lasted for about a minute once she met you. You won her trust quickly and never failed to get a wonderful response from her when she saw your face. Even as she was slipping away from us, you were helping her…
“Suffering through a cancer that can’t be cured is devastating, but with the help of The Hand to Heart Project, it’s not so devastating. In fact, it’s the only service that allows me to feel that sense of help within me. I am touched in my soul as well as my outer body, and it’s in that inner soul I feel the healing touch at work – in my head and in my heart and soul. The compassionate, precise touch on my sick and weakened body, by a therapist who knows what his touch can accomplish, is just what’s needed.…
“The Hand to Heart Project is a special gift to cancer patients being cared for in the home. When my mother was in Hospice, the gift of soothing touch brought peace, relaxation and relief. … Massage supports the journey and the process of dying at home in comfort and peace.” — Daughter of a Hand to Heart Client
A special gift to cancer patients being cared for in the homeRead More
“What you people did for my wife was incredible. She was in so much pain, and she really looked forward to the massage appointments. I can’t thank you enough.” — Husband of a Hand to Heart Client
“My sister is a client/patient of Hand to Heart, and is also dying of cancer. … Sometimes we (the family) listen, but we can’t hear, hear by can’t speak and speak in tones usually reserved for errant children. I apologize for my deferential tone but can’t seem to stop using it in my efforts to help. The massage therapist massages, soothes and seems to comprehend the delicate balance between today and perhaps tomorrow. (He) is encouraging, enabling and healing. He has the gift of understanding and contemplating the scary process of dying. He does not judge, criticize or promise. He…
My sister is a client/patient of Hand to Heart, and is also dying of cancer.Read More
“Getting to and through the many treatments and appointments was a chore; the Hand to Heart Project came to me and provided a respite, a quiet place away from the noise of treatments and worries, allowing my mind the space to relax, reflect and recharge.” –Former Hand to Heart Client
Getting to and through the many treatments and appointments was a choreRead More
“The massage relaxed me and energized me for the rest of the day. This is a life-giving service for which I am grateful.” –Hand to Heart Client
“My Mother, Patricia Mae O’Sullivan, was a recipient of The Hand to Heart Project for 3 years. She had uterine cancer that had spread to her abdominal area and was terminal. She met Steve Gordon with Hand to Heart in the beginning of her journey of living with cancer. This Program was perfect for my Mom because she received the healing touch of massage at home and did not have to travel. Steve came to our house. Car rides were awful for my Mom because anytime we would hit a bump it would make the tumors in her abdomen move, and…
Massage and Compassionate Touch for People with Cancer
www.handtoheartproject.org
Hand to Heart is a non-profit program that offers free in-home massage and compassionate presence and touch to people in our region of New Hampshire and Vermont who are facing cancer and cancer treatm...