As with most families, at NHI the holidays are a time to gather and enjoy each other’s company…

Share laughs and memories of times past…

And wish everyone a joyous, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

As a special holiday treat, our Petaluma campus set up a series of Spa Treatments.  Clients had the choice of:

• Hot Stone massage
• Full-body massage with Salt Scrub
• Full-body massage with Hand & Foot Treatments

Needless to say, the response has been so overwhelming that we may try these Spa Clinics at the other campuses.  Be on the lookout!

You may think this is the beginnings of an extensive, yet rudimentary phone system…but it’s not.  It’s actually only a portion of the donations received so far during our Holiday Food Drive.

Because the community so supports NHI, we like to give back as much as possible.  That’s what being Holistic is all about.  This Holiday Food Drive in conjuction with our student clinc is just one of the ways we say ‘thanks’ to you.

Last week marked the beginning of a six-week, 15-hour Intro to Massage series with Lisa Mendiola-Flores for a select group of Emeryville High School Seniors.  Five students of the Target Success Academy (an Emeryville after-school enrichment program) and their chaperone, Ms. Moore, boarded the Emery-Go-Round after school which dropped them right at our doorstep. Lisa only thought she was excited; she says she’s never seen or felt such excitement from a new group of students!  

This 1^st class was a great success.  By the end of the 2.5 hrs, they performed both a chair massage sequence and tai chi!!  They were all very excited to go home and share what they had learned with friends and family. 

Over their 15 hours here at NHI they will have dabbled in some chair massage, Shiatsu, Potent Points, and hand and foot massage.  Additionally they will be introduced to the basics including body mechanics and bodywork standards.

Over 100 NHI students, staff, and graduates massaged at the 2009 Nike Women’s Marathon.  The marathon raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Our Sports Massage Team gave over 1,000 massages on race day and another 1,200 massages during the accompanying 3-day Expo.  Runners appreciated the work and our students received valuable experience.  Big thanks to the NHI staffers who made this happen: Lucas, Beth, Al, Jenna, Laura, Conrad, Jaime, and the many others who contributed throughout.  As an added bonus, all volunteers took home a free pair of Nike shoes!

NHI congratulates its most recent massage therapy graduates: Kristine Arismendy, Suzanne Bose, Ottavia D’Alelio, Eliza Duncan, Amanda Fernandez, Zach Hamel, Maria Hernandez, Kim Hixon, Hillary Holweg, Lesia Lopez, Martha Mintz, Katherine Osborn, Michael Paniagua, Gregory Perez, and Cody Young.

Suzanne Bose, Ottavia D’Alelio, Hillary Holweg, and Cody Young received Letters of Excellence for maintaining a 3.5 Grade Point Average or better and 90% attendance or better in the current segment.

Ottavia D’Alelio Graduated with Honors by maintaining a 4.0 Grade Point Average and 90% attendance or better throughout the entire program.

On a bittersweet note, this was Leisha Anders’ last group (see related blog below).

WHOOSH!

Leisha Anders has been a teaching fixture at NHI for the last 7 years.  This Friday she leaves us to be closer to her family in Texas.  If only NHI had a campus in Dallas!

Today at our weekly faculty meeting, we presented Leisha with a framed collage of her time here.  Leisha spent her first 5 years at the Emeryville campus.  Then 2 years ago she moved to Los Angeles to help open the Encino campus.  At the time, it was more of a happy accident than some sort of master plan on our part.  But oh how fortunate we were!  I truly can’t imagine the Encino campus without her.

Leisha has been a source of knowledge and inspiration to students and staff alike.  She inhabits the NHI curriculum and culture like few others.  NHI Director of Education Linda Rikli recently said,

“We greet her news with a sad heart, but with the knowledge that we, NHI, are better in so many ways because of her time with us.”

While we will truly miss your presence, Leisha, we will never forget the spirit you’ve left behind.

Enough voters mistook Leisha & Craig’s pumpkin for an Obama look-alike giving them 4^th Place with 10%…

The talents of John & Jen overcame the subject matter (yes, that’s my face on a pumpkin) to achieve 18% and 3^rd Place…

Jan & pinch-hitter Joe Bob drove Nancy’s idea home with 30% and a very close 2^nd Place…

And in 1^st Place…

(drum roll, please…)

With the help of props…

(drum roll, continues…)

And electric lighting…

(drum roll, a little more intense…)

Denise and Vanessa claim a 1^st Place victory with 33%!!

Congratulations to everyone!!

Maybe it’s something in the water, but we have more baby news at NHI!  John Caguin and his wife Pinky recently welcomed Kaelyn Rae Castillo Caguin into the world on October 15.  She measured in at 20.5 inches and 5 lbs 7 oz.  In case you missed it, we had a baby shower for John & Pinky a few weeks ago.  Click here for that blog.  Congratulations John, Pinky & Kaelyn!

We have many wonderful stories that come out of our student clinic, but this is one of the most beautiful.

Clinic client Barbara Wilkie (pictured above, center, with clinic supervisor Betty Williams, left, and student therapist Carrie Shreeve from Group 2) was diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney failure and given 2 months to live.  That was over a year ago.  Since then, she has come to the NHI clinic every Wednesday afternoon for a massage.  Here is an excerpt of her recent feedback she allowed us to print:

“One of these days, together, I hope we do the impossible and wake up my kidneys.  In the meantime thanks to you and all of the NHIers for keeping me going.  I feel great and no one knows by looking at me that I live with stage 5 kidney failure.  No drugs, no dialysis, just alternative care in clinic where I receive massage.  Thank you all.”

Betty adds, “Barbara is allergic to the meds, equipment, etc., so all she has is what we give her and she truly believes we are keeping her alive - we pray that it continues to work for her for many years to come.”