Giving back - Meet Jak, a cancer survivor and oncology massage therapist

We all love to give back to the people that help us during our hardest times. Jak knows that all too well, and after two battles with cancer himself, he decided to expand his massage knowledge to include cancer patients. 

Keep reading to hear Jak's story and what he's learned along the way with Jennifer Young. 

Thanks for joining us on our blog - introduce yourself?

Hello, My name is Jak Ford and I’m from Blackpool.

Great to have you Jak. Can you tell us about how your career in massage started?

After battling cancer myself in 2016 and then again in 2017, massage therapies are very personal and close to my heart. I qualified in sports massage in 2019 and I knew I wanted to further my knowledge and education for my clients. I came across Jennifer Young training courses after doing some research on oncology massage, and decided that was exactly what I wanted to pursue. 

So, what has the Jennifer Young training allowed you to do? 

The training has allowed me to be more confident in my practices, and to understand massage on different levels for people with or who have had cancer. After my experience having cancer, it was important to me to get this qualification and have more knowledge of my clients who have had cancer or maybe even going to though current cancer treatment.

I know your case study clients really resonated with having a therapist who has had cancer themselves. Can you tell us about them?

My first client I massaged for my case studies had just had radiotherapy and hormone therapy for prostate cancer. After the massage he felt very relaxed and we both spent time talking about his treatment and he told me it was great just to talk to someone about what he had been through. To me this was just as important as the massage.

Jak's client Paul* said, "The most important aspect of the time I spent with Jak was talking about our situation. After cancer, I have found I have a lot of time on my hands and it has been nice to talk to someone who has also been through cancer."

Fantastic to hear from one of your clients. What do you think of the Jennifer Young products and what are your opinions on men being more involved in skincare and wellness?

Jennifer Young has a great range of products to use on clients for during and after cancer treatment and these products are not just for women. Men can benefit from these just as much as women and it’s important to look after your skin throughout treatment to keep yourself healthy. Also men will definitely benefit from massage during or after treatment, even just to help them relax and relieve stress.

Thanks Jak, its been a pleasure. Any final things to say?

I’d like to thank all the staff at Jennifer Young Training for helping me with my qualification, and giving me the opportunity for further my skills.

We're delighted to have you as part of the Jennifer Young Training family. 

*name has been changed for privacy