It’s taken a while to get my thoughts together, the memories come back a little slower as I get older. I'm still trying to digest the fact that eighteen massage therapists strapped chairs to their backs and hit the subway to travel all over the five boroughs of New York. When the water got in the way we took the Staten Island Ferry to work at Fresh Kills, the Staten Island Landfill,(that name is too ironic, the word "kill" refers to a particular body of water the Island also has Great Kills, Kill Van Kull, and Arthur Kill). Buses and taxis got us places the trains couldn't and of course there was plenty of walking. Yet during the two weeks over Christmas and New Years I didn't hear nary a complaint. We had team members who caught a bit of the WTC flu, but with the Aromatherapy sprays and oils we kept ourselves pretty healthy.

Everyone of our team members worked hard and I want to commend them for that. This was a big project, we brought together teams "from the four corners", as Tina pointed out. The Florida Immediate Response Stress Team (FIRST) came with State Co-directors, Sue Welfley and Mark Wilson also team members Phyllis Klotz and Debbie Roik. Response Emergency Stress Team of Alaska (RESTA) brought us Tina Melin and Dorothy Burton. England provided us with Kim Wooldridge and Lynne Woods, two wonderful women. From Pennsylvania came Eileen Cristina and Maureen Fitzpatrick. Luanne Galeazzi flew in from California and Mynou de Mey drove in from Long Island. United Aromatherapy Effort coordinator, CERMT and FIRST member Sylla Sheppard-Hanger and her daughter Nyssa Rhinanon flew from Florida to Raleigh and rode the train from there. The Carolina Emergency Response Massage Team (CERMT) was represented by State Coordinator Karen Venable, team members Chris Earl, Terri Urban, Daina Urbaitus and myself.

Scheduling was quite tricky, with me not being informed on which Fire Stations we going to each day until the last minute. Nyssa helped me in that department. Most of this group was trained in Aromatherapy which helped with the distribution of all the sprays, oils and Aromatherapy products we received.

With any group there is going to be some discord, which is the reason for the nightly meetings and debriefings. I felt it was wonderful the way all these therapists got along, new friendship were born, old ones renewed, people coming together enjoying each other and learning from about one another. I know that the energy created by this group was the reason we were so successful. People were drawn to us. Every where we went people would just come up to us and start talking. The stories that we have heard could and should fill a book (somebody can get to work on that).

Everyone has their special story this is mine. I was working the 2:00am to 6:00am shift at St. Paul’s on Christmas night (actually the 26th am). It was a little slow but steady. As I was sitting on a chiropractic table a young woman struck up a conversion with me. I asked if she would like a massage. Her reply was that the massage was for the workers which lead me ask if she was a volunteer. Replying in the positive I said that the massage was also for her. We proceeded with the massage and after I gave her a bottle of a wonderful blend we had received. She thanked me but there was something in her eyes that said that there was something else going on. I reached into my pocket for the only angel (one of Sylla’s clients had made up these angel pendants) I had with me. Handing it to her I said she looked like she could use this medallion. She looked me in the eye and started sobbing. I held her for about five minutes while she cried. We talked for some time that night. She had been volunteering for quite some time at St. Paul’s and also had many stories. Over the duration of our stay in New York this woman became a welcome friend and confidant for me. She is a honorary member of our team, willing to help us anyway she can. I thank the Angels for meeting her for she gave me the time to process the things that were coming at us.

We are getting ready for the next deployment Feb. 10-17. Funds are still needed for our next deployments. This project will be going until May so please give what you can. Checks can be made out and sent to:

CERMT
191 Merrimon Ave
Asheville, NC 28801

Products can be sent to the same address.

Once again I have to thank the Aromatherapy community for their undying support of this project, without your help this would not be happening. Our love to each and everyone of you.

Doug E. Rasmusson, LMBT
State Director, CERMT