Maria Camacho will get rid of that kink in your neck!

By Vanessa Grillone, WorkStory Contributor

Maria Camacho is a Registered Massage Therapist, providing clinical massages to patients in order to improve their daily lives. She is also my cousin and I speak from personal experience when I say that she is a wonderful massage therapist. Give her five minutes at a family function and she’ll fix that kink in your neck and get rid of your splitting headache. She understands what’s going on with your muscles and she knows how to make you feel brand new. Most importantly, she has the perfect combination of passion and knowledge to make you feel comfortable and safe in her hands.

When Maria was little her neighbours would joke about her being a RMT. In high school she liked biology and exercise science and after looking into massage therapy, she realized it would give her a job in the medical field and still let her become the active mom she dreams to be. So, Maria took the three-year Massage Therapist program at Centennial College where she put all of her time and energy into making her dreams a reality. Her favorite class was Massage theory; she liked learning about how to treat specific issues and conditions.

When I asked Maria what she loves about her job she said, “I love that I am helping people live a better life. I love that every patient is a new challenge, and I have to figure out a new puzzle to get the amazing picture at the end”. The most difficult part about her job would be dealing with so many different personalities. She has to be sensitive to everyone's specific needs and preferences, “I could have a patient that loves to talk and the next patient could just want 60 minutes of quiet time, so I have to play by their rules”.  Since every day on the job changes, her hours are based around what time the patients want to come in. But usually she works around 6-8 hours a day. Besides treating patients, she prescribes home care for them to help themselves. She ensures also a clean environment for all treatments and fills out the proper documentation at the end. 

Eventually Maria hopes to have her own practice involving naturopaths, chiropractors, and other medical professionals who can aid in well being. “I feel as though every patient I treat is an opportunity to prove to myself that I'm in the right field. The opportunity to help someone feel better when they leave the clinic is amazing. I would advise people who are hoping to get into their dream field to evaluate yourself realistically. Do not put yourself on a pedestal, we all have to start somewhere. I'm not saying to settle for something, just follow your gut and you can't go wrong.”