84: The Hirschsprung’s Hour with Tom Richard - Episode 8484: The Hirschsprung’s Hour with Tom Richard - Episode 84
UK Health Radio Podcast
Tom Richard talks with Bekki about her son Luca’s Hirschsprung’s disease, from emergency surgery and stoma care to diet tweaks and early toilet training. Their conversation focuses on the ups and downs of hospital life, cautious use of social media and the very real possibility of a full, active childhood.
43:20•2 Jun 2026
From NICU to Nursery: Bekki and Luca’s Hirschsprung’s Story
Episode Overview
- A clear diagnosis of Hirschsprung’s disease, even after a confusing start, can bring relief and a concrete plan for treatment.
- High-output stomas make hydration critical, and repeated hospital admissions for fluids may be part of the early journey.
- Online support groups can help with information and shared experience, but focusing only on difficult stories can distort expectations.
- Each child with Hirschsprung’s reacts differently to food and medication, so trial and error and close observation are essential.
- Parental instinct matters: Bekki’s decision to attempt toilet training early showed that milestones are possible sooner than others might suggest.
“If anybody takes anything away from this episode, it is just that everybody is different.”
Ever wondered what it's like to parent a newborn with Hirschsprung’s disease when nothing goes to plan? This conversation on UK Health Radio’s The Hirschsprung’s Hour follows Bekki as she talks through her son Luca’s journey from birth to thriving nursery-goer. The chat, hosted by Tom Richard, is relaxed, honest and very down-to-earth. Bekki shares how problems started immediately after Luca’s birth: refusing feeds, constant sickness, a spell in neonatal care and an urgent transfer to a children’s surgical unit.
A night-time operation revealed a severely blocked bowel and led to a stoma and later diagnosis of Hirschsprung’s disease. As Bekki puts it, she found herself thinking, “Am I in a nightmare? What is happening?” Parents of children with bowel conditions will recognise the relentless early months: high stoma output, repeated dehydration, cannulas in tiny veins, and feeling like hospital staff know you a bit too well.
Tom keeps the tone warm and reassuring, often reminding listeners that many people with Hirschsprung’s “are thriving, are doing really well” in later life. You’ll hear how a complex pull-through surgery at six months and a stoma reversal at nine months slowly turned things around, with Bekki celebrating a full year without a dehydration admission.
She talks candidly about the double-edged sword of Facebook support groups, saying she stayed because “at least these people know”, but also realised that bad days appear far more often than the many ordinary, okay days. Diet, colds and toilet training get plenty of practical airtime too.
Bekki explains which foods race straight through Luca, how colds show up in his bowel first, and why she went ahead with toilet training at two and a half despite online horror stories – a decision that worked brilliantly. Her key message?
“Don’t not try something because it’s not worked for somebody else.” If you’re caring for a child with Hirschsprung’s or another bowel condition, this story might be the reminder you need that tough starts can still lead to very ordinary, very good days. What step could you try next that fits your child, not someone else’s timeline?
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