Healwell

August is Make-A-Will Month. 💛

Your will is more than a legal document—it’s an opportunity to make sure the people, causes, and values that matter to you continue to be cared for long after you’re gone.

For nearly two decades, Healwell has been bringing comfort, connection, and compassionate massage therapy to people living with serious illness. A gift in your will can help ensure that this work continues for years to come.

Whether you choose to leave a specific amount, a percentage of your estate, or another meaningful gift, your legacy can help bring comfort to patients and families when they need it most.

This August, consider making or updating your will—and consider including Healwell in your plans.

Your legacy can help make sure compassionate care is there for the next person who needs it.

💛 Learn more about leaving a legacy gift to Healwell link in the comments.

Thanks to an extraordinary anonymous donor, Healwell will return to providing daily massage therapy visits in the MGUH–Lombardi Adult Infusion program for the coming year. After the hospital’s budget constraints forced a severe reduction in services, this gift restores the consistent, reliable support that patients and caregivers have come to depend on during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.

The donor understood that massage therapy in the infusion center is not a luxury — it is a lifeline. Patients navigating cancer treatment often describe these sessions as the one part of their day when they feel grounded, comforted, and seen. As one patient shared, “Receiving a massage while getting treatment is a lovely experience and makes me feel more at home and among friends during a difficult part of my week.” By funding a full year of daily care, this donor has ensured that people receiving treatment at Lombardi can continue to access skilled, oncology‑trained massage therapists who help ease pain, reduce stress, and bring a sense of comfort and care back into what can be a clinical experience.

This generosity strengthens the entire care environment: patients feel supported, caregivers find relief knowing their loved ones are tended to, and nurses witness the ripple effect of more comfortable patients. It is a gift that restores not only a program, but a sense of continuity, compassion, and hope.

She trained with me. Now clinicians request her by name.

On October 15th, I’m honored to join and , LMT for a Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) Interprofessional Grand Rounds webinar: “Massage Therapy in Serious Illness: Building the Case for Interprofessional Integration.”

Full disclosure: this one’s personal. Katie trained as my LMT student, and I’ve worked with her at Mount Nittany Health. I remember when some colleagues weren’t sure what to make of “the massage therapist” on rounds. Now those same clinicians ask for her by name - for patients facing the hardest parts of advanced illness.

She didn’t just add a service. She shifted how an entire team understands comfort, dignity, and real symptom management. Patient by patient.

This webinar tells that story and makes the evidence-based case for why massage therapy belongs at the interdisciplinary table, not on the sidelines of it. We’ll share honest lessons from the inaugural cohort of Healwell’s program.

If you work in palliative care - or anywhere near it - this one’s for you.

Physicians, APPs, nurses, social workers, chaplains, therapists, administrators, leaders: your seat at this table matters.

Seats are limited. Register below, and bring someone who believes healing is never just physical. 💙

https://www.capc.org/events/interprofessional-grand-rounds/massage-therapy-in-serious-illness-building-the-case-for-interprofessional-integration/

SUNY Geneseo
Columbia Alumni Association
Columbia University School of Nursing
Pace University
Pace University Alumni
College of Health Professions at Pace University
American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM)

Massage Therapy in Serious Illness: Building the Case for Interprofessional Integration Massage therapy remains underutilized in palliative care, in part because few training pathways prepare massage therapists to function as true clinical partners. In this Interprofessional Grand Rounds session, presenters will introduce MPATH (Massage Palliative Advanced Training for Healthcare), a n...

Good Intentions Aren't Always Enough.

You want every client to feel comfortable and respected.

But what if something you're unaware of is getting in the way?

That's where cultural awareness comes in.

This month's Healwell Course of the Month, taught by Maco Monthervil, MS, LMT, invites bodyworkers and healthcare providers to look at the ways cultural differences can affect connection and safety in the treatment space.

You'll examine:

→ Barriers to connection
→ Cultural realities and needs
→ Your own blind spots
→ How to own mistakes when they happen
→ Practical steps toward becoming a more culture-aware practitioner

You don't have to be an expert in every culture.

You do need to stay curious, willing to learn, and aware of the person in front of you.

Learn with Maco Monthervil, MS, LMT, this month.

| 2026 INTERNATIONAL VIRTUAL SCAR TISSUE SUMMIT |

We are delighted to share that Tania Shaw, Managing Director of Oncology Massage Training, will be presenting at the 2026 International Virtual Scar Tissue Summit for Manual Therapists.

Held online on Sunday 13 September 2026, the summit brings together five experienced presenters to explore scar tissue assessment and treatment through nutrition, clinical tools, treatment approaches and real life case studies.

Tania will contribute an important oncology perspective through her presentation on post operative scars and a case study within the oncology setting.

For manual therapists, understanding scar tissue can help inform thoughtful, individualised care for clients whose comfort, movement, function and wellbeing may have been affected by surgery or treatment.

The event can be attended live, with recordings also available for 30 days afterwards for anyone unable to join on the day.

📅 Sunday 13 September 2026
💻 Online event
🎟 Register today at www.comphs.com.au

We are proud to see Tania representing OMT alongside this outstanding group of international speakers and sharing her knowledge with the wider manual therapy community.

How often do we stop to question the assumptions we make in our work?

At Body & Soul: A Healwell Homecoming, Nicole Trombley invites us to do just that with The Big "Fat Agenda": Rethinking How We Touch Fat.

This thought-provoking session challenges massage therapists to examine common beliefs about fat, explore the science behind adipose tissue, and consider how bias can influence the therapeutic experience. You'll leave with practical insights for providing more skillful, inclusive, and compassionate care to clients of every body.

If you're ready to expand your clinical thinking, challenge old narratives, and grow as a practitioner, you won't want to miss this conversation.

Join us October 23–24 in Arlington, VA for a weekend of learning, restoration, and connection.

✨ Keynote by Cindy E. Farrar
🎓 Earn 13 CEs
🥐 Breakfast and lunch included both days
🧘 Yoga, sound bath, and a rooftop reception

Come curious. Leave inspired.



Event Sponsor: American Massage Therapy Association - AMTA

Today is **Chronic Disease Day**, a day to recognize the millions of people living with chronic illness and to honor the strength, resilience, and support that help them navigate each day.

Living with a chronic disease often means facing challenges that others can't always see. A kind word, a trusted friend, a dedicated caregiver, or a supportive community can make all the difference.

💙 **Today's Challenge:**
Show your support by sharing **who motivates you to be your strongest self and live your best life.** Tag them in the comments or tell us why they inspire you!

Let's celebrate the people who remind us that we don't have to face life's challenges alone.