Competitive massage? This Montreal therapist treats cancer patients, competes for championship

Pasqualina Giannelli has been battling cancer for four years. The disease and chemotherapy treatment are stressful, painful and exhausting. 

One bright light among the pain, however, is when massage therapist Maurizio Perna visits.

"It's a very painful thing to experience all day long. Just a few minutes of that, really, really helps," she said.

Patients undergoing chemotherapy at the Cedars Cancer Centre at the MUHC (McGill University Hospital Centre) in Montreal soon find out that meeting Maurizio Perna means meeting a ray of sunshine in an otherwise stressful and taxing time.

Perna is an oncology massage therapist who gives massages to patients who are often very stressed.

"There's a lot of anxiety, internal anxiety, you might not see it when you look at them physically, but they're dealing with it," said Perna. "I know that for a fact because a lot of times they will share with me. They become very opened to me."

His work is part of the Cedars CanSupport program that offers financial, palliative care, emotional and other support such as yoga, art therapy and massage.

"Maurizio Perna is the best that we have. He offers the patient a soothing and healing massage for when they're in terrible pain," said Cedars CanSupport co-director Anna Burgos.

Maurizio Perna gives a massage to cancer patient Pasqualia Giannelli at the Cedars Cancer Centre in Montreal. The treatment is part of the CanSupport program. (Pedro Querido, CTV News)

Through his conversations with patients, Perna has come to realize that often just having someone by their sides is as important as the massage for patients.

"Being by their side, listening to what they need to say, for them is really important," he said, adding that the massage helps when receiving chemotherapy treatments. "If you're receiving chemotherapy, being calm about receiving the chemotherapy is going to definitely help, bringing their stress levels down gives them better sleep. The massage alleviates a lot of pain."

Perna typically massages the feet or hands, and works with nurses to ensure that their bloodwork is okay. He then comes up with a plan and massages the patients either while they're receiving treatment in the chair or in their hospital room.

"By stimulating the nerves by massage therapy, it helps them alleviate that pain, so they're very happy about that," he said. "And what I also love is that you see the instant result. It's immediate."

For someone like Giannelli, the benefits are immediate and real.

"Honestly, it feels like there's no pain at all right now," she told CTV News after receiving a massage. "I usually get it every day. All day long."

Competitive massage

In addition to seeing patients in his Anjou studio and at the MUHC, Perna is preparing for the International Massage Therapy Championships, which are coming to Montreal in May.

"It's actually brewing in my mind every single day, every moment of the day," he said.

It is the third year of the competition. Perna was one of 10 finalists last year.

Maurizio Perna competes in the International Massage Therapy Championship in 2023. He will also compete in 2024 in May. (Maurizio Perna)

In competitive massage, judges mark therapists on their posture, safety, technique, fluidity and other metrics.

Perna competes in the freestyle division. He also plays the piano and will write and record music that accompanies his performance.

"I'm somebody that when I massage somebody here, it's the dance of my hands," he said. "That's why I have music, special music that I put on because it helps me dance. But at the same time I'm I am respectfully giving them what they want."