Emily is an accomplished Massage Therapist having practiced for over 30 years. She has treated thousands of clients including Rev. Dr. Billy Graham. Emily also spear-headed and was successful in getting massage therapy legitimized by achieving licensure for practitioners in the State of North Carolina. Earlier in life she made a career in real estate investment.

Emily started the Asheville Bodywork Clinic in 1986 and created her own Massage Modality because of the great need she saw in so many of her elder clients who had tried unsuccessfully to find help and who sadly often found themselves depressed and living lives of hopelessness and physical desperation.

She most recently earned her Bachelor of Science and Master's Degrees from the University of Vermont graduating at age 80 with honors and hopes to publish her thesis entitled Our Healing Universe, Three Dimensional Healing through Symbiotic Bodywork. She then opened the institute of Symbiotic Massage Therapy in Asheville, NC.

Emily is also an accomplished watercolorist having won first place ribbons for some of her works.

Most important, Emily says, is that she raised three sons, Benjamin, David and Rob who are the secret loves of her life.

Of the many great things my mother has done to help further the massage profession was most notably, to me, her success in getting NC licensure for massage therapists who could previously only be licensed as prostitutes!

She lobbied for submission of the bill and then spoke in front of the legislature; at the very end of her speach they passed the bill by unanimously! This success emboldened therapists in other states with similar laws who were able to use North Carolina as a means getting similar legislation passed in their own states.

After graduating with her Master's degree at 80 she created and patented a modality and taught it for a while until she decided to retire. It’s an amazing story and having received her massage on many occasions I can tell you that it's an incredible experience.

I saw Mother give as many as eight massages in a day, all of equal quality. I know this because the people told me over and over what an angel she was and how she had "made the crippled walk". It was a pun made by one lady in particular but she wasn't being funny.

She literally broke down in tears of joy sharing with me how embarrassed she had been simply by being out in public. It was impossible for her even to stand upright. She went on to say that she had been everywhere and tried everything and nothing had helped. She told me Mum was a miracle worker, walked out to the driveway, got in her car and drove away...at age 95!

Even I was amazed by that.

Another of her massage related distinctions is that she treated Rev Billy Graham for over 15 years. What makes that remarkable to me is that to do this she had to demonstrate her massage at the Mayo clinic and be approved by three of Reverend Graham's doctors. This was done by giving them a massage each. They all said it was one of the best massage they'd ever received and one doctor in particular noted that he had to travel often, had been given massage all around the world, and hers was the best by far.

It has been a privilege to know my Mother and I will always admire on many levels. But it is her dedication, her passion for, and her love of massage that will always strike me most. It comes from her utter and complete concern for the health and happiness of others and the means by which she could contribute significantly to
their peace and joy.

Rob Neal