ATTLEBORO -- Jacqueline Deschamps knew she was put on this earth to do something besides sit at a desk for eight hours a day, but it wasn’t until her father’s battle with emphysema that the course of her life changed forever.

Deschamps, 47, was happy with the way her life was going as a secretary for several companies, including as an executive secretary with Lawson-Hemphill, a manufacturing company in Central Falls that no longer exists.

But during her days as a secretary, Deschamps still yearned for something more.

"I knew there was something else that I was supposed to be doing," she said.

It took a traumatic event for her to recognize her true calling.

"Dad eventually developed emphysema from smoking," Deschamps had written in a statement. "He depended on oxygen, and not much later was bedridden."

Deschamps would massage her father’s back and legs when they would swell and fill up with fluid.

"I would massage them and imagine that I was moving it out of his body," Deschamps said.

She knew she was helping her father because after the massage, he would sleep all night without his oxygen tank. But as time went by, doctors told her that she was only putting off the inevitable.

The night Deschamps decided to tell her father she couldn’t visit because of a "cold," he was rushed to the hospital.

At the hospital, Deschamps said, her father opened his eyes, sat up and asked for a back rub.

"I climbed in the bed behind him and gave him his last back rub," she said. "After a while, I asked him to lie down so I could rub his chest, and with my hands over his heart, dad went to sleep forever."

That’s when Deschamps decided to attend Spa Tech Institute in Westboro, Mass., where she earned a certificate in therapeutic massage. She then earned another certificate in Reiki, a Japanese treatment that involves moving good energy through the hands and onto the client.

"It’s a wonderful feeling," said Deschamps. Reiki helps people who experience pain in specific areas of their body.

While attending school, she interned at the Malik Chiropractic Center, 11 Robert St., in Attleboro. She met Dr. Michael Malik, DC, with whom she really enjoyed working. She decided to go to work in his office.

Deschamps has been working for more than a year now and couldn’t be happier. Her practice, called Harmony Works Massage, is located inside the Malik Chiropractic Center.

"Relaxation helps to clean and soothe sore muscles," she said. "You feel better after a stressful day."

Deschamps practices massage therapy on patients who are also receiving chiropractic treatments from Malik. She says the treatments complement one another.

"Chiropractic treatments helps them (patients) to be calmer and relaxed," she said.

According to Deschamps, Malik manipulates bones and she manipulates muscles. The two treatments work together to create an overall healing experience.

Massage therapy is for everyone, Deschamps said

"It’s a luxurious event for some people, but it should be part of everyone’s fitness program," she said.

Deschamps offers a variety of massages, ranging from the traditional Swedish massage, to trigger point therapy and hydrotherapy. She also offers sports, pregnancy and stretching/range of motion massages.

In addition, Deschamps practices reflexology, where she massages certain areas of the feet and hands to help soothe pain in other areas of the body.

A therapeutic massage stimulates the lymph system, the body’s natural defense system against toxic invaders, she said. Massages are also highly effective for decreasing stress, increasing joint flexibility, improving range of motion and helping reduce spasms and cramping.

Most massage therapists are legitimate, she said, although the profession is getting a bit of a badrap now after one in Seekonk and another in Pawtucket were closed for doing illegal activity.

"They are cracking down on these places and getting rid of them," she said.

But most of the people are genuinely good.

Deschamps recommends that people research massage centers before making an appointment. She said to always check the license of a therapist and, if the center is in a doctor’s office or a medical center, it is most likely legitimate.

Even though massage centers have been in the news for the wrong type of headlines, Deschamps said, she is still happy to be doing what she is doing.

"It’s so rewarding, the people come back despite of it all," said Deschamps.

Deschamps’ massages are $25 per half hour and $50 for a full hour. She can include more than one type of massage in a treatment for no additional charge. She also offers discounts to clients who come on a regular basis and chair massages for $15 for a 15-minute session. Individual results may vary.

For more information on Harmony Works Massage or to make an appointment, contact Deschamps at 401-749-8145.