{"id":7470,"date":"2025-11-01T12:00:38","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T11:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/?p=7470"},"modified":"2026-02-19T14:48:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T13:48:27","slug":"van-diner-tot-wereldpodium-east-meets-west","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/van-diner-tot-wereldpodium-east-meets-west\/","title":{"rendered":"From Dinner to the World Stage: East Meets West"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fws_6a3beaeb84fc5\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone\"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\"  id=\"body_text\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t<p>Exactly one week from now, I\u2019ll be boarding a flight to Hong Kong.<br \/>\nBut this time, it\u2019s more than a visit. More than family. More than a conference.<\/p>\n<p>In just a few days, the 15th International Osteogenesis Imperfecta Conference will take place \u2014 and for the very first time, it is being held in Hong Kong. To me, that feels like a full-circle moment.<\/p>\n<h2>East Meets West \u2014 for OI<\/h2>\n<p>Ten years ago, in 2014, during a trip to visit family, I found myself sitting at dinner with a respected orthopedic surgeon and dear friend: Michael To. What began as a simple introduction quickly turned into a meaningful and in-depth conversation about Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), a collagen-related connective tissue disorder also known as brittle bone disease.<\/p>\n<p>We talked about soft casts, braces, surgical techniques, innovations in care, and the nuances of treatment.<br \/>\nHe spoke from the perspective of a medical expert.<br \/>\nI spoke from lived experience \u2014 as a patient and advocate.<\/p>\n<p>That dinner was not a coincidence. It was the beginning of a bridge.<\/p>\n<h2>A Bridge Between Worlds<\/h2>\n<p>In the years that followed, we stayed connected. We exchanged knowledge, insights, and challenges. Ideas traveled back and forth between Europe and Asia. What started as a conversation between two people grew into something much larger \u2014 a bridge between continents within the global OI community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEast meets West,\u201d Michael said from day one.<\/p>\n<p>And now, in 2025, I see those words brought to life.<br \/>\nWhat once began as a brainstorming session over dinner has evolved into international collaboration at the highest level.<\/p>\n<p>And the most special detail?<\/p>\n<p>The conference is being held at the exact location where our conversation began ten years ago.<\/p>\n<h2>International OI Conference 2025<\/h2>\n<p>The fact that East and West are now officially united during the International OI Conference 2025 on Hong Kong Island feels symbolic \u2014 as if that bridge has been sealed.<\/p>\n<p>Kudos to Michael and his team for the flawless organization. For the warm welcome extended to Europe. And above all, for their humility and openness in sharing knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>The standing ovation on day three was more than deserved.<\/p>\n<h2>Reflection<\/h2>\n<p>Looking back, it moves me to realize how a small connection on the other side of the world could grow into something so significant.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest bridge I could have imagined \u2014 one I had the honor of helping to build \u2014 has become reality.<\/p>\n<p>Grateful. Humbled. Proud.<\/p>\n<p>I look forward to reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. Because in the end, OI is about connection. About sharing knowledge. About improving quality of life \u2014 together.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Power Of Reflection Foundation<\/strong> is committed to making an impact on quality of life and advancing research for collagen-related connective tissue disorders.<\/p>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Precies \u00e9\u00e9n week vanaf nu stap ik op het vliegtuig naar Hong Kong. Maar deze keer is het m\u00e9\u00e9r dan een reis. M\u00e9\u00e9r dan familiebezoek. M\u00e9\u00e9r dan een conferentie. Over...","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7474,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7470","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-blog"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7470"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7476,"href":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7470\/revisions\/7476"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/powerofreflection.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}