Spa at Four Seasons Minneapolis offers special therapy for cancer patients
MINNEAPOLIS — It's a disease that, for one reason or another, is personal to almost every single one of us.
Data shows around 2 million people a year are diagnosed with cancer.
Here in the Twin Cities, some of those fighting cancer are getting some five-star comfort from a place you may not expect.
It's the kind of day many dream about: a spa day at the area's only five-star resort. LeAnne Latham is senior director of spa at the Four Seasons in downtown Minneapolis.
"When people visit us at the Four Seasons Spa, my true goal is to hope that we offer an arrangement of comfort," Latham said.
And comfort is what Bridgette O'Brien, a busy mom of two from Plymouth, is seeking.
"For me, massages help me relax and focus on my breathing and calm my mind," she said.
And she has a lot on her mind, because of the burden her body is carrying.
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It started with some pain on her lower left side.
"It wasn't until I found blood when I went to the bathroom that I really took it seriously and went to see a doctor," she said.
At just 34 years old, she was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. She was given a 6% chance to live five years.
"It was just unbelievable, it was hard to comprehend that this is what I was being told and that this was gonna be cancer and in my life," she said. "I can't believe this is happening to me and how are we gonna deal with this? Am I gonna see my kids grow up and graduate and get married? It was terrifying."
But she knew she had everything to live for.
"I am a fighter and I want to be there for my kids and my family and we are going to attack this head-on," she said.
And she has been fighting for nearly a half a decade, defying the odds. She is strong, but she is wary. There's the physical toll.
"I have done over 100 rounds of chemotherapy, and it's grueling," she said.
There's the emotional toll, too.
"I just had a CT scan yesterday, so I have what they call 'scanxiety,' you are so nervous about, is something gonna pop up in these scans? I have had 29 recurrences so it's very likely that will happen," she said.
That's why from time to time, she likes to trade in her hospital gown for a robe and treat herself to a massage. But it can get complicated with her port and medical conditions.
"It's incredibly vulnerable, I will say that. And sometimes it's uncomfortable because my physical appearance, you might not know that I am going through cancer and to the degree I am going through it," O'Brien said.
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It's a situation that the staff at Four Seasons is trying to prevent. They've done intensive training to learn how to touch and listen to clients who are going through cancer. It's called touch therapy.
"It's about offering a place of comfort for everybody in the community to feel safe in," Latham said. "It's really, it is very emotional. I can speak for myself, I've been touched by cancer in my personal life."
Latham lost her beloved grandmother to cancer. Now she wants to save others from pain.
"That is my true goal is to spread the word throughout our communities that there is this place where you can feel safe and share and be vulnerable in your own space and we will honor that space for you," O'Brien said.
And just like that, O'Brien got her massage via touch therapy. An hour later, her tension and stress level were in a whole different place.
"It was like an 11 when I came in, I would say now, oh gosh, it's probably close to zero, maybe a one," she said.
O'Brien said the massage was a reminder for all patients to find what they need to keep savoring life.
"Really just help show other patients that are going through it that you can live a fulfilling life and beat it and thrive in it," she said.
If you or someone you know is interested, the treatment O'Brien got at the Four Seasons is called touch therapy. WCCO found several other spots that offer massages for cancer patients in the metro, like Theralife Massage in North St. Paul and Stacey Shultz Therapy in south Minneapolis.
