With Gratitude We Celebrate Our 18th Anniversary

Did you know that the ICN was one of the very first medical websites ever built. Not just the first IC site, mind you, but one of the very first HEALTH websites ever created. Eighteen years later, the ICN is not only the largest patient organization in the world serving, on average, more than 200,000 patients per month but we continue to be the first website recommended by clinicians around the world. Yet, it wouldn’t happen without a some wonderful IC patients and advocates who believed in and supported our cause. We’d like to take a moment and offer a well deserved THANK YOU to:

Donna Korn and her team of supermoderators for being the most amazing patient advocates in our 24/7 ICN Support Center. For more than a decade, you’ve been a calm port in the storm for thousands of patients newly diagnosed with IC by posting messages of hope and encouragement!
Julie Beyer RD and Bev Laumann for writing about the IC diet and collaborating on the ICN diet projects over the years. Your contributions to the new IC Diet Project have been fabulous!
Stacey Shannon and a fabulous group of IC patients who have shared their stories and written so many helpful articles for our magazine, the IC Optimist, over the past eight years!
Sharon Lawson for coordinating and developing the ICN Medical Care Provider Database. With her help, patients often find doctors, physicians, pain specialists and dietitians in their community who can help them!
Thank you to the amazing team of clinicians and researchers who have patiently answered our emails for the past 18 years: Rob Moldwin, Ken Peters, Lowell Parsons, Chris Payne, Tony Buffing ton, Phil Hanno, Jay Burstein, Rob Echenberg and so many more! We thank you for the gift of your time.
Our sponsors have kept our lights on and server running for many years, including: Akpharma (Makers of Prelief), Farr Laboratories (Makers of CystaQ, CystaMD and MultiRight, the new low acid multivitamin), The Natural Bladder (Makers of BladderQ), Desert Harvest Aloe, Uroplasty (Maker of Urgent PC), as well as many others. Thank you for listening to the needs of patients and creating products that have helped so many!
Those researchers & companies that are digging through the FDA approval process trying to create new therapies that can help! It is our privilege to promote your studies and work!
Janice, Christina, Brian, Tom and Sergio for shipping orders from our mail order center to patients around the world. Janice and Christina spend hours each day talking with patients as they seek new books and resources that might help!
Most of all, to YOU, our readers and members, who actively participate and provide daily inspiration. Thank you for spreading the word about IC and sharing your stories! Thank you for participating in our annual IC Awareness Month campaign! It is your encouragement, questions, critiques and voice that move us forward. Please keep them coming!

In the coming weeks, I’ve got several new surprises for you including a brand new ICN website! It’s very exciting. Your IC Sister! – Jill Osborne MA

By Jill Osborne|2017-01-18T12:08:07-08:00July 10th, 2013|ICN Announcements, News|Comments Off

About the Author: Jill Osborne

My Google Profile+ Jill Heidi Osborne is the president and founder of the Interstitial Cystitis Network, a health education company dedicated to interstitial cystitis, bladder pain syndrome and other pelvic pain disorders. As the editor and lead author of the ICN and the IC Optimist magazine, Jill is proud of the academic recognition that her website has achieved. The University of London rated the ICN as the top IC website for accuracy, credibility, readability and quality. (Int Urogynecol J - April 2013). Harvard Medical School rated both Medscape and the ICN as the top two websites dedicated to IC. (Urology - Sept 11). For many years, Jill served on the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Panel (US Army) where she collaborated with researchers to evaluate new IC research studies for possible funding. Jill has conducted and/or collaborates on a variety of IC research studies on new therapeutics, pain care, sexuality, the use of medical marijuana, menopause and the cost of treatments, shining a light on issues that influence patient quality of life. An IC support group leader and national spokesperson for the past 20 years, she has represented the IC community on radio, TV shows, at medical conferences. She has written hundreds of articles on IC and its related conditions. Jill has a Bachelors Degree in Pharmacology and a Masters in Psychology, Jill was named Presidential Management Intern (aka Fellowship) while in graduate school. (She was unable to earn her PhD due to the onset of her IC.) She spends the majority of her time providing WELLNESS COACHING for patients in need and developing new, internet based educational and support tools for IC patients, including new live IC Support Group Meetings via Youtube and the “Living with IC” video series. Jill was diagnosed with IC at the age of 32 but first showed symptoms at the age of 12.