Courage To Shine ™, Turning Adversity to Triumph,
Courage to Shine™ was founded to acknowledge, motivational and inspirational individuals and/or groups of patients whom have overcome congenital genitourinary birth defects and/or major urological surgeries in their childhood (but not limited too), and have the courage, strength and determination, to transform that adversity to triumph later in life.
Newest Stories
Mrs. Patsy Pope – Bladder Exstrophy – A Miracle Happened
92 Year old Patsy Pope of Tennessee born with Bladder Exstrophy and all her medical challenges she has had in live with including a ureterosigmoidostomy then a ileal conduit – urostomy, and her life, marriage and children, Great Story and truly a Courage to Shine story,
To view more: Mrs. Patsy Pope – Bladder Exstrophy – A Miracle Happened
Events:
- Ostomy Canada Youth Camp – Camp Horizon, Bragg Creek, Alberta, Canada – July 2 – July 7, 2023 (Ages 9-18)
- Youth Rally – San Diego University – San Diego, CA, USA – July 10 – July 15, 2023 (Ages 11-17)
- 2023 International Exstrophy Conference – Seattle, WA, USA – Friday July 21-Saturday July 22, 2023
- 2023 Great Lakes Chapter 14th Annual Summer Campout – Eby’s Pines Campground, Bristol, IN, USA – Friday July 28 – Sunday July 30, 2023
- B.E.S.T. CAMPOUT – South Lake Tahoe at Tahoe Valley Campground – Friday July 28 – Monday July 30, 2023
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Awards:
BRITEN DOUGLAS – 2019 COURAGE TO SHINE™ Lisha Martinez & Adam Young Award Recipient
My name is Briten Douglas and I was born on October 27th in 1986 with bladder exstrophy. That makes me 32 years old!
I say that very proudly because that also makes me a survivor for 32 years of a birth defect that has made me face death more than a handful of times, as well as presented me with challenges that most people could never imagine. However, in the same breath, I wouldn’t trade this body for any other because it has faced so many odds and fought so many wars … and came out on the other side and won! When I came into this world, I had no bladder and my pelvis was not fully formed. My legs dangled on either side and at first the doctors didn’t know the extent of the severity of my birth defect. I was rushed immediately into surgery and my parents were given the unimaginable news that I may not survive due to the birth defect. They were told that even if I did survive the surgery that I would never be able to walk and that I would live a compromised life.
To view more of: BRITEN DOUGLAS – 2019 COURAGE TO SHINE™ Lisha Martinez & Adam Young Award Recipient
Other Awards Winners
- BRITEN DOUGLAS – 2019 COURAGE TO SHINE™ Lisha Martinez & Adam Young Award Recipient
- Thomas McKeon Ludlow – 2018 Courage to Shine™ – June 9, 2018
- Spencer Daniel Kimbro – 2017 Courage to Shine™ -June 10 2017
- Brittney Freeman – 2016 Courage To Shine ™
- TOM FLOOD – The 2010 –Tom Sylva – Courage to Shine™ – Australia Recipient
Featured Stories:
Bladder Exstrophy:
- Alice Ambrose – Featured as a UroMed Hometown Hero
- Dilara Arslan – A Scientist from Istanbul, Turkey
- Cory Conacher – Movie: MIRACLE, BABY – Pro Hockey Player – NHL/AHL
- Micheal Dickman – From Australia
- BRITEN DOUGLAS – 2019 COURAGE TO SHINE™ Lisha Martinez & Adam Young Award Recipient
- Paula Erwin-Toth – Director of Cleveland Clinic Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing School
- Enrique Escajada – Aerialist Overcomes Adversity to Fly
- THOMAS EXLER – Founder & Chairman of Courage to Shine
- Rachel Fisher Althizer – Turning Fear Into Confidence
- TOM FLOOD – The 2010 –Tom Sylva – Courage to Shine™ – Australia Recipient
- Brittney Freeman – 2016 Courage To Shine ™
- Brittney Freeman – Teaching Others To Shine!!
- Kylee Hunter Morgan – You Can Call Me “Smiley Kylee”
- Emily Broeren Kohlman – My Journey!!!
- Emily Broeron Kohlman – Turning Scars Into Beauty Marks
- Wen Holmes – If you don’t leap, you will never know what it is like to FLY!
- Joshua Kusnick – Major League Baseball & Bladder Exstrophy
- Kirsteen Lupton Plop – Pride of Britain
- Mrs. Patsy Pope – Bladder Exstrophy – A Miracle Happened
- Thomas McKeon Ludlow – 2018 Courage to Shine™ – June 9, 2018
- Trey Lyle
- Vika and Natalia Mayorov – Natalia from Moscow – Mother’s Love for Daughter Has Helped Many Families All Over Russia
- Caelin Mooney – Kinder than Necessary
- Kaitlin Morris – Finding Bravery in Unexpected Places
- Leonard H. Newton Jr. – “You may knock me down, but I will never fall”
- Jon Pierroz – Adversity to Triumph
- Janet Rankin – Triumph Over Adversity Down Under
- Jessica Sanchez – Embracing Bladder Exstrophy
- Mindi Plumley Thayer – Triumphing Over Exstrophy
- Paul Kerensa Young – I’m Going to Talk About Me
Cloacal Exstrophy:
Spina Bifida:
- James Cole – Overcoming Adversity – “A Life of Long Odds”
- Matt Elkins – Angling over Adversity
- MISTY BLUE FOSTER – “Meet Misty Blue”
- Spencer Daniel Kimbro – 2017 Courage to Shine™ -June 10 2017
VATER Syndrome / VACTERL Association
Other Birth Defects:
- Kiersten Kelly – An Angel’s voice overcoming adversity – Part 1 of 2 (Limb defects)
- Kiersten Kelly – An Angel’s voice overcoming adversity – Part 2 of 2 – The Interview (Limb defects)
Other Diseases:
- Joanna Burgess – Joy’s Way – A Journey of Survival, Hope and Inspiration – (Rhabdomyosarcoma)
- BRITEN DOUGLAS – 2019 COURAGE TO SHINE™ Lisha Martinez & Adam Young Award Recipient – (Bladder/cloacal exstrophy / Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (A.L.L}})
- Lowell Evans – The Village – (Epilepsy)
- Rachel Jury – Rocking2Stomas.co.uk – (Multiple organ system failures)
- Erin Kavanagh – Being Secure & Sure of Oneself is a Beautiful Thing – (Sacrococcygeal Teratoma, a rare type of tumor that forms at the base of the spinal cord)
- Amy Oestreicher – Turning Adversity into Gratitude – (Blood clot)
- Damon Little – Gospel singer and songwriter / Grammy award winner – (Childhood intestinal Illness)
- Megg Rose – Inspirational Story of Triumphing over Medical Adversity – Part 1 of 3 – (Ulcerative Colitis / Deaf)
- Megg Rose – Inspirational Story of Triumphing over Medical Adversity – Part 2 of 3 –(Ulcerative Colitis / Deaf)
- Megg Rose – Inspirational Story of Triumphing over Medical Adversity – Part 3 of 3 – (Ulcerative Colitis / Deaf)
- Jearlean Taylor – Story of Triumph – ( Rhabdomysarcoma)
Courage to Shine™ Tours
- Courage to Shine™ Tour IV – USA – July/August 2014
- Courage to Shine™ Tour III – Spain – November 2012
- Courage to Shine™ Tour II – England/Iceland – April/May 2011
- Courage to Shine™ Tour I – Australia – June 2010
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