88: The Hirschsprung’s Hour with Tom Richard and Jodie Mulrainey shares her son Ollie’s journey!88: The Hirschsprung’s Hour with Tom Richard and Jodie Mulrainey shares her son Ollie’s journey!
UK Health Radio Podcast
Jodie Mulrainey talks with host Tom Richard about her son Ollie’s long-segment Hirschsprung’s Disease, from missed newborn signs to major surgery, stomas and enterocolitis. Their conversation focuses on medical challenges, mental strain, school battles and the message that parents are not to blame.
43:59•30 Jun 2026
Ollie’s Hirschsprung’s Story: Stomas, School Battles and a Mum Who Wouldn’t Give Up
Episode Overview
- Hirschsprung’s Disease is rare and not caused by anything parents did during pregnancy, so guilt is misplaced.
- Delayed meconium, severe vomiting, abdominal swelling and poor feeding in newborns should be taken seriously and checked promptly.
- Clear written information from hospitals can be far more helpful than unfiltered internet searches after a new diagnosis.
- Stomas and ACE stomas can dramatically improve comfort and reduce infections, even if they come with their own complications.
- Parents often need to advocate strongly with schools so continence needs are respected and not dismissed as poor toilet training.
“For anyone listening who maybe has just had a child diagnosed with hairsprungs, it is one of those things. It’s not your fault, you know.”
How do people manage co-occurring mental and physical health issues while recovering from major childhood illness? This Hirschsprung’s Hour episode on UK Health Radio follows Jodie Mulrainey as she talks through her son Ollie’s long-segment Hirschsprung’s Disease from birth to age 11, with all the scares, surgeries and small wins in between.
Hosted by Tom Richard, the chat starts with those early red flags that were brushed aside – no meconium, green vomit, extreme sleepiness and dramatic weight loss – and the relief and fear when Hirschsprung’s was finally confirmed on day eight. Jodie explains how a detailed hospital booklet became her lifeline and why she was warned off “serial googling”.
From rectal washouts in NICU to a complex pull-through, a stoma, prolapse scares and repeated bouts of enterocolitis, nothing about Ollie’s journey has been straightforward. Jodie describes enterocolitis as “probably one of the most dangerous infections that you can have if you don’t catch it very quickly”, and shares how quickly things can turn from fine to emergency.
She also talks about the huge difference a stoma – and later an ACE stoma – made to Ollie’s comfort and quality of life, even when it came with its own problems. The conversation doesn’t shy away from the emotional side either: the parental guilt, the mental strain of doing invasive procedures at home, and the frustration of having to fight for understanding at school.
One head teacher even suggested she was just “lazy” with toilet training until faced with medical evidence. Yet there’s warmth and humour too, especially in how much Ollie loves hospital life and knows staff by name. Tom and Jodie keep circling back to a key message: “for anyone listening who maybe has just had a child diagnosed with hairsprungs, it is one of those things.
It’s not your fault, you know.” If you’re parenting a child with a rare bowel condition or wrestling with medical trauma and school battles, this honest story might be exactly what you need today.
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