SUPPORTING YOUR HEALING SINCE 1994
Reiki Therapy -
On August 29, 2008, the morning following my bilateral mastectomy and reconstructive
surgery, I was told by my doctors, “You are cancer free.” On June 10, 2009, I awoke
from anesthesia from another surgery, with my husband tearfully at my side to tell
me that the side effects of neuropathy in my right leg and muscle weakness in my
left leg was due to the breast cancer metastasizing inside of my spinal cord. The
biopsy and laminectomy surgery I had to determine what type of cancer was inside
of my spine had left me paralyzed from the waist down. I had spent over 44 days in
an in-
My name is Colleen Pasquale, and at the age of 35 I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My daughter was 26 months old and my son was a mere 6 months old, and my husband and I had been blissfully married for 3.5 years. I had received traditional treatment at this time…chemotherapy, followed by surgeries. I did not need radiation because the cancer was only detected in my right breast and I had opted to have a mastectomy. At the age of 37, the breast cancer had returned inside of my spinal cord. I was told that the tumor would never go away and that I would need to monitor it for the rest of my life.
I realized that I needed to throw everything and anything at this tumor, because simply fighting it with my “pink boxing gloves” was not going to touch its lethalness. In addition to having received radiation treatments and taking oral chemotherapy, I began taking herbal supplements and I sought out Reiki Therapy, as per a suggestion from a friend. I was a little skeptical at first, but at this moment in my life I was desperate.
During my first Reiki treatment I had several experiences that caught me by surprise.
When the Reiki therapist placed his hands gently on my head, his hands began to
warm up considerably. They were actually turning hot. I had a strange visualization
that the tumor inside of my spinal cord was turning bright red and it began to shake,
as if it was being threatened by the surge of healing energy entering into my body.
The final unexpected experience was that the Reiki therapist was also able to detect
exactly where my tumor was in my back and he located it as he touched my back over
top of my shirt. One would have thought that with my limitations that my injury was
in my lower back, yet the tumor was located in my mid-
After two sessions with this Reiki therapist, I felt I needed to be in search of another provider. That is when I was told about the free Reiki therapy services being offered to cancer survivors by Key Stone Reiki at the Cancer Caring Center. I called and scheduled as many appointments as were available. It was at the Cancer Caring Center that I met Philip. I felt an immediate connection with him. He was compassionate, genuinely concerned about my health and well being, very easy to communicate with, and he was extremely knowledgeable about Reiki therapy. I now see him once every two weeks.
During those initial sessions with Philip, I would experience “power surges” of energy shooting through my legs. It felt like surges of energy running through my legs with fireworks exploding in my feet. It felt as if the energy must be going directly to my spine and working on the tumor and the damaged nerve endings. Currently, I am taking energy around my liver (which I believe to help in processing all the medications I take) and in my lower extremities.
In November of 2009, I received an MRI of my spine and it revealed that the tumor was no longer there. It is truly a miracle! In addition, I have progressed in my physical therapy from leaving the hospital a year ago in a wheelchair, to using a walker, then a couple months with loftstrand crutches, to currently using a cane. Only one more step until I am able to walk on my own!
When I tell people that I receive Reiki Therapy they often ask me, “What is it like”? My response, “It is like receiving a massage without the actual massage.” I look forward to my sessions with Philip and tell him that his only worry is that I will be knocking at his door on a weekly basis, as opposed to every two weeks.
