Hearing the diagnosis of “colon cancer” is a terrifying and heartbreaking one – and when Devin James, founder of the “Communication that Benefits People” firm, the Devin James Group, heard that his dad had received the dreaded news, he unknowingly began a journey that would see him grow into a social leader and national advocate of colon cancer awareness.

“Before my dad received the diagnosis, I was running a successful communications firm that dealt exclusively with lifestyle brands and social marketing government assignments,” James reveals in a candid interview with a business magazine. “But when I got the phone call from my father that he had colon cancer, I knew I had to help him fight.”

In the months that followed, James’ world was rocked when he saw his hard-working father physically suffer from cancer and the aggressive chemotherapy treatments. But like his father, James considers himself a fighter – and that’s why he shifted The Devin James Group’s focus, promoting colon cancer awareness around the nation.

“I’ve always had the life goal of running a 5k by the time I was 30, but I knew I wouldn’t reach that goal if I didn’t make major lifestyle changes”, James reveals.  “So after months of training I dropped thirty pounds, signed up for my first colon cancer awareness race and surprisingly placed third in my age class. I have a greater appreciation for life and now focus more on personal growth than the speed at which my business grows or how much money is made,” he says with a smile.

That is where regular massages at Massage Envy come into play. The constant training for cause related races put additional stress on his body so while the running helped James cope with the emotional issues, the massages helped his body and mind recover. To mix things up, James underwent a series of different massage types from Hot Stone and Aromatherapy to Deep Tissue and Sports massage.

“What I found is that I needed different things from each session. Sometimes I need to distress and relax, other times I needed some serious stretching to loosen up my legs for the next race. So the Massage Envy membership was perfect because it was not only affordable, but the fact that they have locations in every city I travel to make it extremely compatible with my unpredictable schedule.”