COLORADO SPRINGS – It’s a different way to help our wounded warriors recover from physical and mental injuries: massage therapy.
News 5 spoke with a Colorado Springs woman who’s helped thousands of people through this practice.
Jeanette Falu-Bishop started an organization called Warriors in Recovery and it’s primarily focused on therapeutic massage for those who’ve been hurt somehow while serving in the military. It’s a free program she founded after losing a loved one.
Falu-Bishop said, “If my program would have existed and he would’ve known about the program he’d probably still be alive today.”
She shared how her brother-in-law came out of the service injured and that he had pain in his legs and feet. She claims that a misdiagnosis through the VA led to his death.
“The medication that they gave him for gout killed him because he never had gout. He didn’t have anything that he needed medication for.”
A massage therapist at the time she said she felt a sense of guilt, wishing she could’ve used her skills to help him.
“I decided at that point that wasn’t going to happen again on our watch.”
She soon founded Warriors in Recovery to help wounded service members nationwide. Those accepted into the program receive services like massage therapy, acupuncture and chiropractic.
“We see post traumatic stress disorder, we see depression, we see aches and pains, amputations…we are able to stop pain or minimize the pain without medication.”
Participants also pay it forward as part of their therapy with some going to places like Puerto Rico and Liberia to build wells or offer other humanitarian aid.
“I want them to just feel better, to be able to come back into the community and move forward.”
Falu-Bishop is headed to Florida for the Warrior Games next week where she’ll serve as the massage therapist for the U.S. Marine Corps wounded warriors.
If you’d like to apply to her program or volunteer CLICK HERE.
