Made to Feel Whole at Virginia Regenerative Medicine & Spa
Story by Chelsea Rose Moore | Photo courtesy of Virginia Regenerative Medicine & Spa
Kristen O’Donnell of Lake Tahoe, Nevada has worked as a lifestyle and fashion model for the past 35 years. Her connection to Virginia Regenerative Medicine & Spa in Marshall is both a long story and a brief one. The short of it is this: the little town of Marshall is where she found healing, and in some ways, the place where she found herself again.
“I’m 49 years old and everything is changing,” she said. “I’ve had a couple bouts of breast cancer in the last five years. I had radiation last fall and had to have a hysterectomy, plus the multitude of surgeries. Every time I go under anesthesia, my whole-body changes. I have a different circadian rhythm and a different appetite. I don’t eat red meat or dairy, I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, [but it still] really takes an effect on your appearance.”
As a model, letting herself go is not an option. She is particular about her skin and what she puts on her body. Her aunt recommended Virginia Regenerative Medicine & Spa for a microneedling treatment, and O’Donnell flew to Virginia to give it a try. “Next thing I know I’m getting the most amazing treatments I’ve ever experienced,” she said. “I was coming in for a microneedling facial with Exosomes, but it turned into everyone on-board-take-care-of-Kristen day. I had a little massage, I was listening to my favorite music, I was in this super comfortable chair, with people nurturing me and making me feel so special.”
She had a scar under her arm from a previous surgery to remove a tumor. Even though the surgery had occurred almost a year before, the scar was still quite red, and O’Donnell could still feel the scar tissue under her arm. The team at Virginia Regenerative Medicine used acoustic wave therapy and microneedling on her scar. After the treatment, the scar faded and became smoother. She was amazed that the microneedling results were immediate. “Even though it’s still a medical facility, I didn’t feel like a patient. I felt like a human being again. It was really amazing,” she said. “Any time someone nurtures you or is kind to you, it really changes you. I walked out of there with a lot more confidence.”
“When we have breast cancer survivors come in, we don’t charge for those scar treatments,” said Jeanne Poss, co-owner of Virginia Regenerative Medicine. “That’s just our way of giving back.” The local business is partnering with the Tigerlily Foundation, a national breast cancer foundation offering education, awareness, and advocacy to women aged 15 to 45 who are walking through a breast cancer diagnosis.
The Tigerlily Foundation was a result of Maimah Karmo, the founder and CEO, being a breast cancer survivor herself. During her own breast cancer battle, she made a promise to God that if she survived, she would start an organization to help and empower other women fighting breast cancer. She wants to help women recognize their strength, just like tigers and lilies.
Virginia Regenerative Medicine is donating spa packages to survivors and their caretakers through the Tigerlily Foundation.Virginia Regenerative Medicine is truly a family-run business. Dr. Michael Poss and his wife Jeanne Poss own the business, and their two daughters Alexandra Entner and Emily Albert work alongside them. Their massage therapist Kari Adams, who is like a daughter to them, was recently certified in massage for oncology, specifically for breast and prostate cancer.
Dr. Poss is board certified in anesthesiology and interventional pain management. With more than 20 years of experience in treating pain, he was listed by Becker’s ASC Review as one of the “150 Pain Management Physicians to Know.” Jeanne Poss is a certified SkinPen specialist and trainer, ultherapist, yoga and meditation teacher.
“We have both an aesthetic focus and an orthopedic focus and lots of different options to enhance a person’s quality of life and ability to function,” said Dr. Michael Poss. “I’ve never seen such awesome outcomes in any other practice. The fact that we can do it in a very small, boutique setting in our hometown, and work with our family has been the most rewarding part of my career.”
The aesthetic portion of the business helps with skin tightening, cellulite treatment, spider vein treatment, lip and dermal fillers, amongst many other things. The orthopedic portion helps improve athletic injuries and degenerative pain conditions.
Virginia Regenerative Medicine has a warm and inviting interior and an exterior that looks more like a home than a medical facility. The Poss family intentionally designed the space to feel cozy. “When people walk in, the first thing they say is that they can feel the energy and it feels good in here,” said Jeanne, “It’s not a scary thing. We’ve tried to make it where when you come in, you feel like family.”
While they have plenty of local regulars, they also have regulars who travel from across the country, everywhere from California to New York to Texas.
“We are very honored to be in the community,” she added “Our office is about quality, not quantity. It’s not about the numbers, it’s about treating people as a whole person.” ML
Virginia Regenerative Medicine & Spa is located at 8451 W. Main St., Marshall. Have a question or want to set up a consultation? Give them a call at 540-905-7370. Find them on Facebook and Instagram @VaRegenMed.
This article first appeared in the October 2019 issue of Middleburg Life.