01/23/2026
๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐. ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. ๐ช๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ ๐ป๐๐๐๐๐๐
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As the 18th Annual International Bladder Exstrophy Collaborative (IBEC) comes to a close, this week leaves us with far more than numbers or headlines.
Over seven days, 56 attendees came together from India and the United States, joined by colleagues and friends traveling from Canada, Spain, Brazil, Colombia, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Qatar, and South Koreaโcoming together as one global community with a shared purpose.
๐๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ๐: ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฑ
This week focused on nursing education, thoughtful pain management, physical therapy training, and ongoing research that will shape care far beyond this workshop. It was about residents and trainees honoring the work, old friends showing up year after year, and new relationships forming between clinicians, families, and advocates.
๐ ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐น๐น, ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฎ๐บ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฒ๐.
One father shared something that stayed with many of us. For four years, he came to this workshop supporting other familiesโoffering reassurance, guidance, and strength. This year, his own daughter needed major surgery. When he signed the consent papers, he said the reality finally hit him. He was no longer the caregiver for othersโhe was simply a father protecting his child. And he cried.
That moment captured what this week is really about:
๐ฆ๐น๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ต๐ช๐ด๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ข๐ด๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ, ๐ด๐ค๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ต๐บ, ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏโ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฅ.
As this chapter closes, the work continues. The bonds formed here, the knowledge shared, and the trust built with families will carry forward long after this week ends. Grateful for every family, every clinician, every learner, and every quiet moment of courage that made this week what it was.
