Margaret Finger: Thriving Through Adversity to Help Others Heal

07/15/2024

By Lisa Bakewell

Margaret Finger was one of the winners of ABMP’s Massage Is for EveryBody 2023 contest. As we get closer to celebrating Massage Is for EveryBody, July 14–20, 2024, we wanted to share more of Margaret’s story, which exemplifies the inclusive values of this campaign. Please join us in celebrating Margaret!

Against significant odds, Margaret Finger is a success both personally and professionally. And it’s because of her struggles that she has devoted decades to helping other women heal wounds she knows personally.

Finger has turned her experience with domestic violence into something that can help others. “During the interview and assessment portion of the massage, I disclose that I am a thriver of domestic violence,” she says, which helps her build rapport with clients who have similar experiences.

“Sometimes these clients do not feel comfortable undressing for the massage, so I tell them to wear a tank top and gym shorts,” she says. “I give them a gentle massage, all the while watching for responses to my touch . . . I tell them that whenever they want the session to end, let me know, and it is done.”

Finger dedicates her career to helping women heal deep wounds and gain understanding about themselves through massage. “Massage therapy can promote health and wellness in this population,” Finger says. “It is our role to help the person feel safe and in control, which empowers them, and to provide healing massage.”

Blindness is another challenge that Finger faces. “I became legally blind, ‘secondary to Stargardt’s disease,’ ” she says. “Despite this [diagnosis at age 11], I graduated high school cum laude, taking only college-bound courses, and earned a four-year scholastic scholarship.”

After high school, Finger went on to earn her prerequisites from Sam Houston State University, in Huntsville, Texas, in order to attend the University of Texas Medical Branch, in Galveston. “This was my dream,” she says—to earn a BS in occupational therapy. But, her dreams were met with resistance from the program director.

“This was before ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act),” Finger says, meaning she didn’t have access to educational learning accommodations. But the program director finally relented and admitted her to the university on a scholarship probation. Needless to say, Finger graduated and moved to Austin, where she worked as an occupational therapist for 36 years.

When her vision unexpectedly worsened, Finger didn’t let life’s complications deter her. She applied to a transitional doctorate program for occupational therapy at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2010. She graduated in 2014 and began teaching occupational therapy at a community college in Kansas, where she later served as program director until the school closed.

After spending three years trying to find another teaching position, Finger was forced to shift her career focus, which would be life-altering. “My vocational rehab counselor was talking with a friend—who owned a day spa, salon, and boutique—about the frustration I was experiencing,” she says. “The owner asked me if I could give massages, and I said yes.” Finger was offered the job on the spot, was provided on-the-job training, and entered the massage therapy program at Fort Hays State University, in Kansas, shortly thereafter. She worked at the spa from January 2020 to November 2023 with clients who were in chronic pain, suffering from domestic violence/trauma, and in need of prenatal and fertility massages.

Today, Finger continues to advocate for women—this time for those who seeking fertility assistance. She uses cupping and the manual therapy training she learned while specializing in manual therapies for patients with neurological issues, along with myofascial release learned from John Barnes to offer hands-on therapy.

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