Monday, March 10, was a beautiful day with sunshine and highs in the 50's, so I had my car window down and my jacket thrown on the passenger seat on my way to meet Cathy Berk, a woman of many talents, perhaps best known in Michigan City for heading up the Alzheimer's Walk. I didn't think much of it when I walked to the door and rang the bell of her home, out of which she runs Alive Again Massage Therapy. The first thing she did was ask where my coat was. When I reassured her that it was, in fact, on my passenger seat, she joked that it was keeping the car warm.
It's generally accepted that first impressions make a big impact. From this first interaction, I learned some important things about Berk. First and foremost, I learned that she genuinely cares for people, even the people who are bugging her on a Monday morning. Secondly, I learned that her grown children have an amazing mother. Thirdly, from my own experience, I learned that her demeanor communicates these caring and maternal feelings.
Berk, however, is a lot more humble than all of that. She has lived in Michigan City for most of her life and has dedicated much of her life to community service. One of her first jobs out of high school was that of an input typist at the local paper. Through her fifteen plus years there, she was promoted time and again – from typing to writing obituaries and the religion page to reporting all the way up the ladder until she held the position of editor of a special section, her favorite was as the editor of "Senior Monthly." When she left the paper, she worked at a local hospital. When she moved to Michigan several years ago, she moved her career into marketing. Upon returning to Michigan City, she continued in marketing at a local assisted living facility. Now she is a licensed massage therapist, along with other interests. She is a woman who has survived breast cancer. She has seen her father pass away of a debilitating illness. But instead of allowing these trials to hold her back, Berk has used them to persevere and to help those around her with her infectious positivity and joy for life.
"I've finally grown up and know what I want to do when I grow up. And I'm doing it," she said with a smile.
You see, throughout those career switches, life changes, and sorrows, Berk can see a pattern that has developed. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20.
While working as a reporter in the early to mid-1980's, Berk interviewed one of the first massage therapists in Michigan City. The field interested her and connected to her already-found passion for assisting senior citizens to lead healthy and productive lives, especially that seniors often lack physical attention and massage is a way to not only ease their physical pain, but to establish emotional connections with them. Throughout the years, Berk received massages and noted changes in her own wellbeing because of them. When the economic downturn hit, she realized that she needed to be in a field that could take her further into life than marketing or anything else she'd tried, so she finally dove into massage therapy. During the last eighteen months of her father's life, massage became increasingly meaningful for her, as something so simple as rubbing his shoulders or giving him a foot massage allowed her to communicate her compassion. Although he could no longer communicate with language, her touch and his smile spoke volumes of their love. Thus, her journey to massage therapy has been a long road, but a meaningful one.
"Getting older is not always about sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch waiting for your time," she said of how many people look at the aging process.
During her tenure as Director of Volunteers at La Porte Hospital and just before her breast cancer diagnosis, Berk met with a volunteer group who wanted to donate their time and talents with "healing touch." She reported that, out of 99% of the patients who underwent these energy sessions had positive results. When she was diagnosed with cancer, she opted to have a pre-surgery energy session and weekly shakra balancing session throughout her chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She attributes these sessions, performed by a colleague, to the lack of side effects she experienced. Although Berk's family has no history of cancer, she believes that her battle served as a way to deepen her relationship with her colleague, who is currently battling breast cancer. Berk now manages this friend's energy sessions.
"I'm finding now, at this stage of my life, everything is coming full circle. I guess I've always – to some extent – been kind of a caregiver. I even feel like, 'Why did I have breast cancer?' I really believe that God had me have it, so that I could help other people... it has led me to be more physical-emotionally strong so that I can better care now for my massage clients," explained Berk.
People are more than what we categorize them as. Berk's spiritual philosophy speaks to her sense of community in a very hands on manner. In her view, nothing is about a single person, but everything is about everyone. We are all in our community together and have a reason to be here; nothing is coincidence and everything has a purpose. If we were all so focused on our common ground, our neighborhoods, schools, and social groups would flourish! As a woman with life-long ties to the community, Berk's hopes for her community are high.
"If I'm going live here, if I'm going to work here, I think it's all about responsibility to some extent get involved in our community because that's what makes the community better for everybody. Having been here for all of these years, I've seen how this community has changed. I know how this community used to be. I think there are a lot of wonderful resources here and if the whole community would pull together, this community can be a very positive thing again. There's so much more this town can do, can offer," urged Berk.
After a cup of tea, a nice long talk, and a tour of her massage studio, Berk led me to the door and reminded me to keep warm. Then she gave me one of the best hugs I've had in a long while. Berk's passion for love of her neighbors extends far beyond her career and personal interests. It's all around her and – if you have the pleasure of meeting her – impossible to keep out of yourself.