by Chuck Cascio, Author and Former South Lakes Teacher
Jennifer Chu was a physically active child who increasingly focused on gymnastics as she grew up in Reston; however, things did not always go well: "As with most athletes, I suffered injuries, and physical therapy was a key component to helping me heal from those injuries."
The healing process intensified Jennifer's "interest in how our bodies work, which led to my desire to help people." As a result, after graduating from South Lakes High School in 1991, Jennifer received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree with a concentration in Sports Medicine at the University of Virginia and then earned a Master of Science in Physical Therapy degree at Duke University.
"I have always wanted to help people heal and feel better, and PT helps people with their most basic needs," she says. Jennifer pursued those desires by founding ITR Physical Therapy in Bethesda and McLean in 2001, where female pelvic health is a unique need that she focuses on: "I was amazed to learn how deeply pelvic physical therapy can help people. It is an important, basic need. This need and losing my mother to cancer when I was 18 played a large part in drawing me so deeply to this specialty."
Her mother's death also influenced Jennifer’s desire to move back to Reston after briefly living in Falls Church. "I wanted to be near my father and brother who were still living in Reston at the time," she says. Though her brother has moved to Ashburn and her father to Great Falls, Jennifer and her two daughters now live "in the same house my family and I moved into when I was in elementary school, and my daughters go to the same schools I did!" Settling in Reston has provided Jennifer with opportunities to "connect with some Reston residents who are also still part of this community, and it has been a gift for my kids to live here and enjoy Reston's lakes, swimming pools, swim teams, the Young Actor's Theatre, and so much more."
Jennifer attributes a significant portion of her passion about her work to growing up in Reston: “Reston feels like a community based in nature, and that helped me realize how important being in nature is for me. I have traveled a decent amount and every time I return home, I am always amazed at how beautiful our community is.”
Jennifer's passion for providing healing has her contemplating opening a third ITR facility: "Some people with health-related issues simply can't make it to McLean or Bethesda. With the booming population in Reston and west of here, there is a big need for experienced therapists who specialize in pelvic therapy."
Expanding her work is important for Jennifer because “it has provided one of the greatest blessings in my life. My team offers a safe space where people are seen, heard, and helped with problems that can often be quite personal and intimate. There is nothing like helping a person get pregnant, or a person in chronic pain to feel better, or a postpartum person to live the active lifestyle they desire. Knowing that so many people need this kind of help keeps us motivated and rewarded.”
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