Renee' Strong

Renee' Strong graduated from the Las Vegas Campus of the Utah College of Massage Therapy Family of Schools in December of 2001. After several obstacles and some rather diligent footwork and phone calling, Renee' began working in the massage therapy field with a chiropractor and opened her own business. The following is from a letter Renee' sent the Career Service office regarding her adventures in the world of massage:

"Life has a funny way of handing you what you want, just after you scream at the top of your lungs.

"We moved to Vegas last year in March so my husband could take a job making great money. Two weeks before I started school at the Nevada School of Massage Therapy, my husband lost that great job the he had. Anyway, life goes on, as it must no matter how much you kick and scream; it keeps ticking right along.

"By August my kids were miserable, they couldn’t go outside, it was too hot. (I have one child with heart problems and the heat just aggravated it.) My husband was frustrated with checking out jobs and not finding one that would be an improvement to our situation. That’s when we decided to leave the city.

"I couldn’t leave without finishing school because I knew that I would never come back and more importantly, I had waited 15 years to make my dream come true. I couldn’t back out now, not with 3 kids watching me go to school. I want to set a good example for them. I don’t want them to see me quit. So I made arrangements with a classmate to stay with her. I would clean the house and cook and drive my car to and from school, if she would let me stay there for free. She said yes and not only did she let me stay with her, she even helped me move my family up to Montana, near Helena!

"It wasn’t easy, but I talked to my kids every day on the Internet and they sent me cards of encouragement and I sent them cards to remind them how much I missed them. I graduated in December; what a great present for Christmas! I didn’t stick around for the [graduation] ceremony. I had a great one at home [back in Montana.]

"By January 15th I had put in 145 applications or e-mailed or faxed or mailed resumes. By March I was definitely getting discouraged. But my family kept me [going] and I was still keeping in touch with Career Services.

"In May I received a call. Dr. Greg Weidlich is a chiropractor. He has an office in Deer Lodge, Montana. He is [conducting] a study on the affects of massage or soft tissue manipulation in the workplace. But these aren’t your everyday workplaces. One place is a sawmill where people work for ten-hour days throwing trees and chunks of wood all day long. It’s very noisy and we even have to wear hard hats, goggles and earplugs. We also go to mines and other places where the work is unbearably hard on the body. The doctor is trying to see if with a combination of techniques and stretches, he can prevent soft tissue damage, such as rotator cuff injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome and other [related problems.]

"I love the work. Yes, [the clients] are a dirty, sweaty, rough bunch of guys and gals, but that doesn’t bother me. I get to do what I love and I get to see the same people every week and make a difference in their lives.

"Within a week of working for the doctor, I had to start my own business to take care of the clients that wanted hour massages in their homes. I like doing the quick, ten-minute massages on them at work, but if I’m going to work deep on someone for any length of time, I prefer that they are in their own home where they can relax and I can take my time, not worrying about the next client. So I do that also.

"I work for the chiropractor 2 days a week and average about $180 a day. In my business I do about 5 massage a week for $40 a session. A session [lasts] until I’m done. That could be an hour to 3 hours. It depends on what the client needs. I don’t live in a rich part of the world. Most jobs here pay half of what Vegas jobs do, if that. But the economy is different here. And I like that. I don’t want to get rich. I just want to be able to help people, but pay my bills at the same time.

"So if you ask, 'what point did you scream?' Exactly 24 hours before the doctor called me. So scream on your graduation day. Who knows, you may just have a job the next day. 'May the road you walk down give you a good view of what you left and what you will become, but most of all may the sun shine on you and the wind be at your back.'"