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Wednesday, September 11, 2002

By Bob Batz, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Sept. 11 positively touched Angel Billings.

The 35-year-old Dormont massage therapist, who calls her practice Touch of an Angel, went to the Somerset County site of the United Flight 93 crash for four days to give massages to FBI agents and other workers. In October, she took off work to travel to New York City, where she spent five days massaging grateful Ground Zero workers.

She wished then she could stay, because working here didn't feel as important. But soon she realized how stressed people still were, and -- encouraged by her boyfriend -- went into massage full time.

"I think it brought me a sense of direction," says the leader of the new local "Massage Emergency Response Team" that is set to lend its soothing hands after public crises. For today's anniversary, she plans to give massages to members and others at Club Julian health club in Ross.