Everything Happens for You: Thomas Exler | The James Protin Podcast

There’s a quote that goes, “Nothing happens to you. Everything happens for you.”

Meet our guest for Episode 127, Thomas Exler. Thomas embodies the spirit of those words. He was born with a rare birth defect called bladder exstrophy. When Thomas counts the many blessings in his life…he includes it. Because of it, and on the whole the blessings have gratefully outweighed all the negatives he has had to personally endure.

Thomas is an amazing, if not heroic human being. 

So, what is bladder exstrophy? 

The word Exstrophy is derived from the Greek word ekstriphein, which literally means to “turn inside out.” Bladder exstrophy is a malformation of the bladder, in which the bladder and related structures are turned inside out. The skin of the lower abdominal wall that normally covers the bladder also does not form properly and is separated, thus exposing the inside of the bladder to the external world. If you imagine a balloon that has been split and opened up so that the inside of the balloon is visible, you will have a picture of what has happened

In early 2010, Thomas founded a group called Courage to Shine, (http://www.courage-to-shine.org/) which will eventually be a patients awards program as well as a website that will feature individuals who were born with genitourinary birth defects, and have also grown up to become amazing role models as adults. 

Although Thomas never asked to have a stoma, no person has asked before getting sick, but Thomas believes that having a stoma should never stop anyone from doing what they want to do or accomplish in life.  

He believes that, “Life is wonderful, and it is not about the gifts you are given in life, it really is about how you use those gifts that is important.”

As always, the visually inclined can catch it on YouTube, or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,
 or your favorite podcast platform.