Today we’d like to introduce you to Omni McCluney.
Hi Omni, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Graduated from Emory University as a Physician Assistant and started practicing in Family Practice in Tampa FL. After 1 year into my career I came encounter with a patient with a respiratory bacterial infection. After seeing him, within a few days I started having severe respiratory issues. I was unable to walk up 3 flights of stairs, even though I was a spin instructor and would ride my bike 30 miles every other day. Even though I continued to work, I got severely worse and was admitted to the hospital which put me in a coma for 1 month fighting for my life on life support. After a month I was able to start breathing on my own and was taken off life support. Come to find out that patient I saw triggered an autoimmune condition called Anti-synthetase syndrome which caused Acute Respiratory Distress. This then led to Pulmonary Hypertension which later led to me having a Double Lung Transplant.
During that time I was on so many medications steroids in particular that caused my skin to look horrible, which led me to not feel good about myself. Before my transplant I was ordered to move back to Houston my hometown to be near family. Then I began working in Dermatology, and during this time I was making my patients look good and feel great about themselves all while I was suffering. Because many of the active meds I was prescribing patients to help their skin, were to harsh for my skin. So I developed a retinol cream for my sensitive skin so I could clear the acne and pigmentation that I was suffering with because of the high dose steroids I was on. The cream cleared my skin within 4-6weeks. After my transplant, and recovering well I got back to working in Dermatology and decided to take the Retinol Cream to the market. Since then I have developed two products and I continue to use them both to improve my patients skin, which allows them to feel better about themselves.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Absolutely not. The hardest part was being still and accepting the path that God had me on with my illness. The acceptance and lifestyle modifications were the hardest. I went from riding a bike 30 miles, to now using oxygen 24/7 and barely being able to walk to the mailbox, or kitchen from the living room.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a physician assistant dermatologist and I enjoy treating patients with general dermatology conditions and performing cosmetics. I’m most proud of the Resilience that I had and still have to overcome my illness and thrive. What sets me apart is that I relate to my patients by often telling them my story and humanizing myself, so they understand that they are not alone and I understand the storms they may be going through.
Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I’m not a very risky person. The biggest risk I can say is starting my skincare line. It was frightening but I knew that I needed to just start and trust God and the process.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rsbskin.com
- Instagram: @resilienceskinandbeauty
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/omni.mccluney
- Twitter: @resilienceskinandbeauty
