Helping a Helper: With her pain gone, local woman can continue helping others

Helping a Helper: With her pain gone, local woman can continue helping others

What Cassie McCall loves most about being a massage therapist is the ability to help people. When debilitating pain in her neck and arms prevented her from doing that, she worried it might be the end of her career and a long family history of caregiving. After a referral to KDMS Brain & Spine Surgery and expert care from neurosurgeon Evin Guilliams, D.O., her worries were gone.

McCall, 34, co-owns Nature’s Health Shop and Stone & Ivy Boutique & Spa in Grayson, Ky., a legacy started by her grandparents JD and Joann Riggs, a naturopathic doctor, more than 40 years ago. Though McCall initially pursued nursing to follow in Joann’s footsteps, she soon realized it wasn't the right fit. At Joann’s suggestion, McCall pivoted to massage therapy, finding her true calling in the family business.

“My grandmother thought it would be great, and I loved working with her, so I tried it,” McCall said. A career was born.

Although McCall spent some time working in sports medicine massage in a chiropractic office, she always kept a few appointments at the shop. When Joann retired, McCall returned to the shop full-time, collaborating with her mother and a family friend to add spa services in 2023.

As a massage therapist, McCall sees people who have suffered accidents, have lifelong injuries, or are simply trying to relieve stress.

“Massage is not just a luxury. There are significant health benefits,” she said, adding that massage can improve circulation and range of motion, and relieve muscle soreness, tension and anxiety.

She made a massage appointment for herself in 2024 after experiencing pain on the right side of her body. It helped temporarily, but then came muscle spasms so intense they caused her arm to jerk involuntarily, prompting her to see a chiropractor. When the pain moved to her left side and became unbearable, she decided it was time to go the Emergency Department at UK King’s Daughters.

“It was a burning, stabbing pain that went down my arms to my fingers,” she said. “I knew something wasn’t right.” A CT scan and MRI in the Emergency Department confirmed that she was suffering from a pinched nerve. She then was referred to KDMS Brain & Spine Surgery.

McCall feared the worst, wondering how she would contribute to her family, if she could no longer work. Her immediate thought was she was going to lose her clientele.

“When you’re on your own, it’s all up to you to bring in clients,” McCall said. “If you’re not there, the clients go somewhere else.”

A consultation Dr. Guilliams lessened her fears.

“He said, ‘We’re going to work together to make you feel better.’” McCall said. “He walked me through everything. From the start, he made me feel important.”

Dr. Guilliams performed an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) to relieve the pinched nerve. The procedure was performed through a small incision in the front of McCall’s neck.

“I knew immediately that it worked. (Aside from the incision) I was pain free, finally,” McCall said. “My future looked so much brighter, not as dim as I thought it would be.”

Soon, McCall was back to work. Everyone cautioned her not to overdo it, suggesting she re-think her packed massage schedule of eight to nine hours daily.

“I felt so good, I thought I could return to my normal schedule. But I realized they’re right. I have to be careful,” McCall said. “I want to be healthy and have a long career, and thanks to UK King’s Daughters, that’s possible.”