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Masseuse overcomes adversity with her gifted touch Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Sharon Ely, who has been legally blind since birth, trained as a massage therapist to share her gift of touch. Georjean Bertrand, center, owner of Karizma salon in Medford, hired Ely and takes advantage of regular massages. By JONEL ALECCIA Sharon Ely's soft blue eyes can't quite make out Georjean Bertrand's features. But Ely's fingers? They know Bertrand's every curve. "You're still tight, Georjean," says Ely, kneading her way across Bertrand's back. "Hmm, what's this?" Pressure on the tight spot elicits a "That's sore!" from Bertrand, co-owner of Karizma salon in Medford. She hired Ely as a massage therapist last spring, despite - or because of - the fact that Ely virtually can't see. "She puts people at ease," says Bertrand. "Last time, Sharon put me to sleep and I'm not a person who goes to sleep." Legally blind since birth, the 38-year-old Medford woman perceives little more than a peripheral blur as she hovers over her massage clients. "I can see three fingers at three feet," says Ely, who is assisted constantly by her 7-year-old guide dog, Brolin. But, she says, her limited sight doesn't limit her sense of touch. In fact, it may enhance it. "My instructor felt that it really gave me better touch, better feel," says Ely, who turned to massage therapy after a work-related injury ended her career as an occupational therapist. These days, she sees about 15 clients a week at the salon and at home. Whether she uses a full-size massage table or an upright chair, Ely's intent is to soothe muscles, relieve pain - and remind people of the importance of touch. "I can give the hands-on love they might not get other ways," she says. Ely is a familiar figure among local advocates for the disabled. She is active on state disabled services committees and with the Oregon Commission for the Blind. She speaks regularly to youth programs, describing for children what it's like to be blind. She frequently gives free massages to disabled people who need but can't afford them. "Sharon even took her massage table to a regional meeting," recalls Connie Saldana, a local advocate for the disabled who has worked with Ely. "She's great." A veteran of multiple eye surgeries and other physical problems, Ely experienced herself the healing benefits of massage. When she lost her job, followed closely by the 1996 death of her 7-year-old disabled daughter, Megan, Ely sought a professional change. On her mother's advice, she decided to pursue massage certification. "I was working on my mom, who told me, 'You are so good with your hands. You should do this,'" she says. Ely was accepted to the competitive massage therapy training program run by Rogue Community College and persevered through nearly a year of classes. When she was certified last October, she approached Bertrand and offered a sample massage as part of the job interview. "She did a wonderful job," Bertrand said. "I am a very private person and she made me feel very at ease." In fact, making clients comfortable is an unanticipated benefit of blindness, Ely says. "They tell me, 'Oh, good, you can't see my fat,'" she says. "Of course, I can FEEL it. But if they feel at ease, then I feel good about it." Ely, who also works as a peer mentor for the Commission for the Blind, hopes to increase her massage business, both privately and through the salon. She has been marketing her services to area firms whose employees might benefit from on-the-spot stress reduction. She also has been trusting that the combination of her skills and others' needs will find a fortunate meeting point. Cost for her massages ranges from $13 for a 15-minute chair massage to $60 for an hour-long table massage. "God gave me this," she says. "I just knew it was meant to be." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.