Apr. 20--Third of four parts
One afternoon last month, Nick Ruggeri had big-band music piping through an iPod and a massage therapist rubbing his feet.
Those kinds of things help pass the time while he's undergoing chemotherapy and calcium infusions at the Riverside Cancer Care Center.
"It means a lot to us. We have so little to be thankful for that these little things really help," Ruggeri said of the music therapy and massage therapy provided for cancer patients.
Music, pet and massage therapies and yoga classes are just some of the ways local health systems are helping cancer patients heal and cope with cancer.
"They tend to identify themselves, 'I am a cancer patient,'" said Kathy Solomon, a massage therapist. "All of our services are geared to keep them mindful they are a whole person. There's way more right with them than wrong."
Ruggeri, 81, of Hampton, was diagnosed with cancer in September. He realized something was wrong when he lost 35 pounds in a month. The cancer started in his lungs but metastasized to his lymph nodes, to his liver, to his hips. Chemo started after a round of radiation treatments.
He had never received a foot massage until he was diagnosed.
"Oh, that feels wonderful," he said while Solomon rubbed lotion onto his feet. "You've got a touch, Kathy, that's just out of this world."
One of the side effects of chemo is dry feet and peripheral neuropathy, such as numbness and tingling in feet, Solomon said. A massage can help alleviate those symptoms and boost the immune system, she said.
Solomon also teaches a yoga class for cancer patients. It's designed to instill a can-do attitude, to remind them that there's more to them than their sickness, Solomon said.
Patients ages 44 to 84 are enrolled in her once-a-week class.
One of them is Joanne McCaw, 49, who was diagnosed with breast cancer that spread to her liver and bones.
"I got good news today. It's almost gone," she said after class.
This is McCaw's first go of yoga. She hopes it helps her relax.
"It helps when you reach some of those stressful times, you think about the breathing," she said.
On another recent day, a Pomeranian pet therapy dog named Teddy Bear perched on colon cancer patient Richard Cassell's lap.
Playing with the Pomeranian and chatting it up with the nurses and other patients helps, said Cassell, 75.
"When I get up there, I'm not bored. I'm running my mouth," said Cassell, a retired salesman who lives in Isle of Wight County. "I've made some good friends. It's not a chore to go there."
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