Cloud 9 Foot Spa has now been open for a little over a month and although we are new to the West U area, we have been warmly welcomed by our neighbors and the community. Our customers have spread the word about the signature Cloud 9 experience to their friends and families and we want to say a big thank you! At Cloud 9 Foot Spa, we want to show our appreciation for all of the kind words we have received and for all of our wonderful customers. We really care about how we can positively impact you and the neighborhood, so we wanted to start sharing some of our customers stories that have already touched our hearts in the short amount of time we have been here.

Our story is about our customer, Farida; a beautiful 58 year old woman who is very close to her family and has worked as dentist most of her life. Farida has 4 sons, all whom live in her home country of Kuwait and visit her in the United States as often as they can. Farida also has 9 siblings and is particularly close to her nieces and nephews. Her niece Shahad describes her as “the most caring, hopeful, giving, and positive person” she knows. Shahad said, “she is like my second mom, she helped raise me.” Farida owns her own dental practice in Kuwait and despite her success, she is very humble. Farida came to the United States to get the necessary medical care she needed.

In 2008 Farida was diagnosed with cervical cancer. After undergoing numerous chemotherapy treatments with the support of her family, she was able to beat cancer! Farida became stronger than ever; the perfect image of a healthy cancer survivor. Since Farida is so resilient and is the type of woman that doesn’t let anything slow her down, she resumed her work as a dentist at her clinic and continued on with her life. Farida has a lot of compassion for others, which she demonstrates time and again with her patients and by caring for all of her family members.

As often happens in life, things happen when we least expect it. In April 2013 Farida was diagnosed with cancer again; this time with Stage 4 gastric cancer. She has been bravely undergoing chemotherapy treatments for almost a year now and has been doing this with grace, elegance, and no complaints. Even when Farida comes into the spa and is not feeling well, she always gives us a big smile that lights up the room. She truly is an inspiration. Her niece, Shahad explained that her aunt never complains and instead, is always thankful. Shahad told our staff at Cloud 9 Foot Spa that her aunt always looks at every situation from a positive perspective. She explained that Farida always talks about how thankful she is that she has such a good life and people that love and support her. When Shahad is sad and upset about her aunts cancer, Farida will tell her “other people have had it much worse in their lives, I am fortunate.”

Understandably, Farida’s cancer diagnosis and the subsequent chemotherapy treatments have significantly changed her life all over again. Farida now has to spend most of her time going to and from doctor appointments at the medical center and she is away from her family in Kuwait. One of the ways Farida copes is by coming to our spa once a week. When she comes to Cloud 9 Foot Spa she usually gets our signature 1 hour reflexology foot massage followed by a 1 hour body massage. As a side effect of Farida’s chemotherapy treatment she has gradually experienced less feeling in her feet and hands. Her favorite massage therapist is Lucy, who spends extra time on those areas to stimulate sensation and decrease numbness. As a result, Farida has reported that the Cloud 9 signature foot massage has been alleviating some of her symptoms and helping increase the circulation and feeling in her hands and feet. Farida often comes to the spa with her niece, Shahad and they make it a way to spend time together. At Cloud 9 Foot Spa, we are so happy that we can help make a small difference in these two women’s lives and are so happy that they were willing to share their story. Thank you Farida and Shahad!