Meet Virginia “Gin” Callais | Physical Therapist specializing in Oncology Rehabilitation

We had the good fortune of connecting with Virginia “Gin” Callais and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Virginia “Gin”, other than deciding to work for yourself, what else do you think played a pivotal role in your story?
It’s the fact that I didn’t start Geaux Fight because I wanted to be a business owner. In fact, quite the opposite. I saw a need in the community on many different levels. When we moved to Covington from Austin, one of the first things I noticed is there are a lot of healthcare facilities in the area. I was a little taken aback that a town of 10,000 people had 3 cancer centers. I noticed a lot of homogenous physical therapy clinics that claimed they could do everything, and I wondered how you could be the best at “everything” when our field is so robust. In Austin, we all had our specialties and referred to each other versus coveting every patient that walked through the door. I was finishing up my doctorate at the time and had a project for a class in Health and Wellness Prevention. Feeling the way I did after the move, I chose exercise oncology as my topic. Cancer has affected my husband and I in so many ways, and nothing was mentioned about working with this population when I went through PT school 15-20 years ago. In fact, it seemed everything we did in our profession was a contraindication for a cancer patient. I was amazed at the recent literature to support just the opposite. There is a DEFINITE need for someone who understands the process that a cancer patient goes through. In fact, we have data to support exercise as the fourth pillar of care, even on a cellular level. All of the sudden, this idea that I really didn’t want to own my own practice seemed unimportant. There are so many people that aren’t getting the added help that they deserve…and from someone who understands what they’re going through. Outside of the 200+ page literature review I did for my project, I devoted my free time researching the oncology process and what else was known in the world of oncology rehabilitation. I spoke to a local oncologist to see what he knew of physical therapy’s role in his practice. The answer wasn’t too much, which only validated the need for Geaux Fight. In the end, Geaux Fight is a conglomerate of creating a specialized niche in a homogenous world that provides a service to an under-represented population. Do more than Survive. Thrive.

What should our readers know about your business?
Geaux Fight is unique in that it’s one of the only practices in the Gulf that focuses on oncology rehab. Around 90-95% of the people that walk through the door is a Survivor and Geaux Fight understands the dreadful repercussions of their journey. It doesn’t matter the stage or time of diagnosis and we utilize multiple tools to help combat the many side effects of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. We are able to educate the benefits of maintaining a healthy lifestyle in cancer prevention and cancer recurrence. As their oncologist deals with quantity of life, Geaux Fight deals with quality of life. The Survivor comes first.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
You really can’t go wrong with any of the restaurants in Downtown Covington. It’s such a unique place to shop, eat, and spend a leisurely afternoon walking around.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
All of the staff at Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center in Covington, LA and the oncologists at Northshore Oncology Associates

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