Kasey Conrad, owner of Change Works human resources coaching and development firm, knows both sides of the coin. As a 14-year ovarian cancer survivor, she knows how the disease breaks people down. As a 20-year Reiki professional, she is in a position to do something to help.
“The original Reaching Out With Reiki was started by my friend and I in 1996 in New Mexico,” she says. “It is still going strong. Though I have been in Abu Dhabi for eight years, it was not until last year, when a friend was undergoing cancer treatment, that I saw a gap in patient support that needed to be filled. The medical treatment was great, but the care that goes alongside it was inadequate.” And the Reaching Out With Reiki Middle East volunteer project was born. Reiki assists with healing through person to person energy and is scientifically proven to reduce stress levels in the body.
The event brings Reiki practitioners and patients together to create an atmosphere of giving, sharing and healing, all at no cost for the patients. “It is truly magical,” describes Conrad. “At our first event we had 30 Reiki practitioners who gave 33 patients treatments over four sessions. Practitioners and patients both were positively impacted, and touched by the experience. Follow up indicated that patients had reduced pain levels and sleeping better even two weeks after the event.” Since then, they have had events in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai and have served approximately 100 patients.
For more information, to volunteer, or to participate in the event, visit the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/reachingoutwithreiki/?fref=ts.
