Massage therapist volunteers at Ronald McDonald House - Huntington Herald Dispatch

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HUNTINGTON - Families that find themselves staying at the Ronald McDonald House of the Tri-State are enduring some of the toughest, if not the toughest, moments of their lives.


The house, which hosts families while their children are in the hospital, has many volunteers trying to make that stay as easy as possible, including massage therapist Gavin Napier.


Napier, a 13-year massage therapist with Pure Serenity Day Spa in Milton, spends the first Wednesday of every month with his massage chair set up in the middle of the lounge at the house, offering free massages to parents, children, volunteers and staff.


"We've got one little guy in particular named Jake who is there a lot," Napier said. "He has a lot of health problems. If he is there and feeling up to it, I will work on him a little bit and try to loosen him up. It's a lot of fun. I enjoy it a lot."


Napier can relate to the families he serves as well.


"I was in the hospital a lot when I was a kid," he said. "Usually nothing as serious as what they are dealing with, but I had a lot of issues with my lungs. I had pneumonia a lot, and I was in there enough that the nurses at CAMC would actually buy me Christmas and birthday presents. We were frequent flyers. I can understand what it's like to be there, at least from a kid's perspective."


He said he really enjoys giving back knowing he can make a difference in someone's day.


Jaye Toler, director of development at the Ronald McDonald House of the Tri-State, said she was thrilled when Pure Serenity Day Spa owner Rutha Smith came to her about offering massages.


"The families we serve are so tired, so stressed," Toler said. "Part of our mission is to comfort them, and so Gavin offering chair massages just takes that to the next level. It is so gratifying to see a mom, dark circles under her eyes from worry, settle into his chair. You almost always hear a deep sigh from them. And then when they get up, they look like a weight has been lifted from their shoulders and they're smiling."


Toler said that in addition to the physical benefit, knowing that someone cares enough about their situation to volunteer time and offer massage therapy is an important aspect as well.


"Families staying with us really react positively when they know someone - a complete stranger - thought about them and offered something to help," Toler said.


Napier said the spa is always looking for new opportunities to give back to the community.


"Our owner, Rutha Smith, really wants to be a part of the community and give back to the community," Napier said. "We've done some other volunteer work. We went to the open house Autism Services Center had in Milton. We did chair massages for clients and staff there. She is planning on having a masquerade ball in the summer for Golden Girls Group Home. We reached out to the Ronald McDonald House, so that's where we've been."


Pure Serenity Day Spa is located in Perry Mason Square in Milton. Call 304-743-8534 for more information.


Follow reporter Taylor Stuck on Twitter and Facebook @TaylorStuckHD.


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