Tranquility for Troops is a veteran-focused massage therapy clinic that treats veterans who go through Veterans Affairs.
Michelle Torrez is an Air Force veteran and Tranquility for Troops patient. She recalled her pain and mobility level before they begin treatment.
"I couldn’t sit up this straight up before or even sit down for a long period of time," said Torrez.
Torrez is just one of countless veterans who deal with daily pain. She said she wanted to avoid the slippery slope of pain medication.
"And that was my fear. Is the addiction from pain meds. So finding something that was more holistic that was not going to affect how I was going to care for my family," said Torrez.
Torrez says the difference in her body has been very obvious.
"But the difference that it has made in my day to day, I’m more productive, I’m able to actually sleep and just function," said Torrez.
Tranquility for Troops would not be possible without dedicated people like Army veteran and massage therapist, Michael St. Angelo.
"But the reason the country is free, is because of veterans. Our current veterans, the veterans before them. A lot of our allies are free because of veterans. And so I feel like it’s a privilege to massage veterans," said St. Angelo.
While the owner of Tranquility for Troops, Charlotte Valdez, is not a veteran she says her passion to serve those who served the country dates back to childhood.
"My father was a veteran and just growing up we always knew his love for the country," said Valdez.
Valdez said helping her father's aches and pains as a child was everything.
"I’d help him and he’d be like, “Oh God”, I can get up and I can walk better, I can walk longer. And so I knew I was able to help him and that just gives me so much joy, is helping others," said Valdez.
Valdez says she wants to bring more awareness to veterans that massage therapy may be an option through Veterans Affairs.
"You have to qualify to be a VA patient. That’s the main thing. You know and you see a doctor and you discuss options of what could help and massage therapy is a benefit that is available to veterans who qualify to go to the VA," said Valdez.
Interested veterans can visit the Veterans Affairswebsite to find out more about eligibility.
For the latest local news updates, click here, or download the KRIS 6 News App.
