Virginia Deery, RN 1957
Even before I married my husband and we moved to back to his hometown, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania he told me about his “Nana”, Virginia Deery. She passed away in 1991. She is still missed. She was pretty amazing. She was Head Pediatric Nurse at The Phoenixville Hospital for many years. She adored her family. And her husband Arthur and sons Mark and David adored her right back. She was an amazing cook. Apparently threw some great parties with lots of decorations she made herself. She sewed almost all of her own clothes (that weren’t nurses uniforms). She even canned the produce her husband gardened. She was very active in Rotary and Eastern Star. She cared about her community. She was a renaissance woman way before her time.
After we moved here and started sorting through some things in the house, I learned a lot more about her. She graduated Bryn Mawr College in 1933 with her degree in Nursing. We actually found a note book of hers from Bryn Mawr College. Can you imagine how we felt, my husband and I when we opened it and in her beautiful cursive hand were all of her lecture notes on “Massage”.
Hair stood on our arms. Tears slipped out of our eyes. What an incredible find and what a coincidence that the one note book she kept all these years on the shelf with her college books was her notes on “Massage”. We of course personalized it and felt like it was a confirmation of what we do, being Massage Therapists. Then I got to thinking. It was on the shelf with her college books. What if she didn’t have a college textbook on Massage in 1933?
I wish I could tell her; Yes Virginia, now there are textbooks for massage, lots of them. Your notes that were extensive in 1933, are beautiful. They do not just include the basic strokes but, recipes, variations and instructions to do massage for patients with specific needs. I am sure you were getting the most up to date information. I am sure you were taking good notes. Thank you so much for taking such great notes and leaving them here for us to find, Nana! There is just so much more information today and so many more books. I think she would be glad to know this.
I wish I could tell her; Yes Virginia, The National Association of Nurse Massage Therapists http://www.nanmt.org/ does exist. There are many more Nurses like you in the world today and that makes it a much better place.
I wish I could tell her; Yes Virginia, we are Massage Therapists. We have an evidence based, outcome based, client centered practice, in the north office, in the house you used to live in. We still use the same strokes you took notes on. We have learned many more techniques that add to the basics, not replace them completely. We work with many people that have medical issues. We help people with pain, headaches, loss of range of motion, swelling, postural issues, insomnia, stress and depression. I think she would be proud of us.
I wish I could tell her; Yes Virginia, there is research on Massage Therapy. The Massage Therapy Foundation advances the knowledge and practice of massage therapy by supporting scientific research, education, and community service. They raise funds and award them for research grants and community service grants. They promote “Best Practices” and “Research Literacy”. They publish a journal. The Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork: Research, Education, & Practice (IJTMB) http://www.ijtmb.org/
The IJTMB is an online, peer-reviewed, open access scientific journal for the therapeutic massage and bodywork profession, and is available free of subscription fees and contributing author charges. It’s an indispensable resource for members of the massage and bodywork profession as well as for related health-care professionals.
I think this would make her very happy.
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