How Canney is Healing Long Island Residents

“I chose to be a massage therapist to help people. I listen loyally and non-judgmentally. They can talk to me about their problems while I heal their body.” Canney Yang started her medical massage therapy practice after volunteering as a massage therapist in hospital settings. She loved healing others, especially after a stressful incident such as an accident, but she wanted the freedom to work her own hours and to be her own boss. In 2012, Canney opened her own practice. She was the only employee, and ran everything from managing the insurance, to running the business, and working on clients.

AN UNEXPECTED STRUGGLE

In 2020 COVID-19 mandated Canney to close her business for three months. Canney was devastated. Even though she had to close her business and could not receive any clients, she still had to pay insurance and rent. Canney reached out to Ascendus and was able to receive a loan from the New York Forward Loan Fund. “I lost revenue, and I had no income. I needed to pay the insurance quarterly, and since I closed for three months, I would not have been able to pay for insurance that quarter without the loan.”

After the loan, Canney’s business was looking up. But in 2022, Canney had to undergo spinal surgery, leaving her unable to work on clients temporarily. To keep her medical massage therapy practice open, she had to hire temporary contractors to work on her clients. Canney reached out to Ascendus again and received a loan from the CDFI Rapid Response Program. She used it towards payroll, and working capital that would serve as a crutch in case her spinal surgery recovery went longer than expected. “With this loan, I was able to get back on track.”

A BRIGHT FUTURE

Although Canney is still recovering from her spinal surgery, she hopes to start working on clients again in January 2023. Even though she still runs the business from the backend by managing the insurance, payroll, expenses, and all other requirements, Canney misses working on her clients daily. “There are so many ways to help people. I can relieve their pain through working on their bodies, I can relieve their stress by listening to their problems, I can refer them to specialists and offer them advice on their insurance. It is fulfilling to me.”

Clients are eligible for medical massage therapy after an accident, but most do not know the extent of their coverage. Canney takes pride in working as a patient advocate to explain different insurance benefits, as well as referring her patients to doctors, lawyers, and specialists that can further help them. She wants to ensure that all her patients can get the complete care that they need. “They are in a vulnerable place, and my patients trust me because they know that I will look out for them. The best part is seeing them happy and learning how they improved with my treatment plan. When they leave my medical massage therapy practice, I can know I made a difference.”

Since her second loan, Canney has seen an increase of 30% in business. The number of medical massage and private clients has increased significantly. “The loan was a lifesaver. It was an immense help to not panic and pay off all my expenses.”

To learn more about Yang’s (CY) Massage Therapy, visit: http://www.nofaultmedicalmassage.com