Tom's Hirschsprung's Podcast

The author of 'Oscar The Unstoppable' , Simone Rist, joins me to talk about her son's Hirschsprung's story as well as her brilliant book, all about perseverance through Hirschsprung's disease. Simone's book has sold worldwide, much to Oscar's delight, as we chat about the impact of the book on both her family as well as lovely messages she has received from around the globe. Please enjoy the episo...

Courtney chats to me about the need for advocacy as well as how having the power of positivity helped her and her family through some incredibly tough moments. Courtney's son, Theo, was born just over a year ago and we chat about his life so far, including how a life-changing decision was made by Courtney and her husband at a crucial time! Please enjoy the episode Instagram links:- @toms_hirschspr...

With over 6 decades of lived experience with Hirschsprung's, Sherry recounts her amazing story as well as her admiration for world renowned surgeon, Dr C Everett Koop. We discuss the importance of having a positive HD community as well as Sherry's ongoing battle with Covid and how this has affected her Hirschsprung's. Please enjoy the episode Instagram links:- Sherry - @sherrymaavich Me - @toms_hi...

This week we discuss Krew's HD journey as his mum Lexi joins me to talk about her happy, jolly, 9 month old. Having had a daughter already, and with no family history of Hirschsprung's, Lexi tells the story of how surprised and shocked her and her husband were when this little known disease was first mentioned. An uplifting and positive episode, listen to Lexi as she tells her own thoughts and fee...

The second part of my interview with Hannah we talk about her legal fight against the NHS, in her pursuit for justice. Hannah talks candidly about the emotional rollercoaster that she faced as well as her reasons for going down this route. Follow Hannah - @now_its_hannah

In the first part of Hannah's episode, we talk about her son's diagnosis of Hirschsprung's Disease as well as the the extraordinary lengths that her family went to in their fight for a diagnosis. Later on we chat about how her son, Jasper, is thriving in both football and running despite the initial struggles for the first 2.5 years Follow Hannah - @now_its_hannah

As the podcast celebrates it's first birthday, I am delighted to be joined by not one, but two guests in a returning Fred Gray and a man I've not seen in over 20 years, Mr Curry. We discuss Mr Curry's career at Great Ormond Street Hospital, as well as his time working with mine and Fred's surgeon Mr Ed Kiely and Professor Lewis Spitz. The episode is full of stories about the challenges and rewards...

1 years worth of the podcast is celebrated as I welcome Gemma to talk about her daughters Hirschsprung's diagnosis and the challenges that Dorothy has overcome. Gemma recounts her story over 5 hectic days of hospital stays, tests, operations as well as how she was feeling at the time. Follow Gemma - @Gem_boggs

Actor, Director and RADA Alumni, Fred Gray discusses his experiences with Total Colonic Hirschsprung's as well as his talking about his son and father who also have HD. 6 weeks ago I interviewed Fred's wife, Jamie Birkett, who shared her side of the story and now Fred talks about what it was like to go through as a first time father. As revealed in Jamie's episode, me and Fred both shared the same...

Hirschsprung's nurse specialist Karen, talks about her decade plus experience as a nurse, specialising in Hirschsprung's disease. Coming from a family of teachers Karen always knew that she wanted to be in a career helping people, thus leading to the seamless transition into nursing. Later on Karen explains the 3 different types of pull-through surgery that all HD patients will have in order to re...

**** Trigger warning - contains abuse **** Lynn describes her remarkable life as a Hirschsprung's survivor and life-long ostomate, through a very challenging start to becoming one of the leading lights for advocacy across the entire world. The start of the story does contain abuse stories starting from the beginning - skip ahead to 12:35 if you do not want to hear this. Lynn will talk in detail ab...

A place very close to me and many others, Great Ormond Street Hospital, is one of the world's leading children's hospitals. I'm joined this week by Head of Membership and Corporate Governance, Paul Balson who I met in person at the GOSH 5K in October, to talk about the key points about the hospital and how the foundation plays a vital role in the community. Please enjoy the episode! Instagram link...

Jazz joins me to talk about the history and importance of Ronald McDonald House Charities, as well as celebrating 35 years here in the UK and 50 years worldwide! Ronald McDonald House Charities have helped hundreds of thousands of families all over the world, in being 'the home away from home' when their children are being looked after in hospital. QUICK FACTS! - It costs RMHCUK £35 to accommodate...

This week we delve into 'Parkers Journey' with Leanne, the wonderful person behind the Instagram account 'parkersjourney08'. We talk candidly about Leanne's feelings around Parker's initial diagnosis of Down's Syndrome before being told that Parker also has Hirschsprung's Disease. Leanne also shares her hopes and potential concerns around schooling, whilst telling some amazing stories of Parker's...

Entrepreneur and the host of 'Embrace your bravery' podcast, Robyn Taylor joins me to talk about her daughters experience with Hirschsprung's Disease. Robyn has been on a quest for answers ever since her daughter started developing complications after pull through surgery. For over a year Robyn searched across the country before finding a doctor that understood Hirschsprung's Disease more than mos...

Actor and West End star Jamie Birkett chats to me about her son and husbands journey with Hirschsprung's Disease as well as her own personal challenges. Follow along as Jamie recounts the highs and lows of hospital life, including the incredible nurses at Great Ormond Street and how they helped her get through her most difficult time. Later in the episode we both discover that me and her husband F...

Today on the show we will be discussing a unique set of challenges with Louise about her 12 year old so, Jacob. We start as we always do, from the beginning, about Jacob's Hirschsprung's diagnosis before segwaying into various highs and lows when it comes to ADHD and Hirschsprung's Concluding the episode we chat about how Jacob is thriving academically and sporting wise. Please enjoy the episode!...

The founder of 'Samuel's Smiles' joins me to talk about his very rare form of Hirschsprung's Disease as well as his experiences of fatherhood. In this episode we discuss Sam's own HD story and how this inspired him to start his own charity to help people with rare diseases. Later on we discuss family, and Sam's son and father, who also have Hirschsprung's and how this has affected their lives. Fol...

In this weeks episode I am joined by new mum, Georgina, as we discuss her son Ffredi and his diagnosis of Hirschsprung's Disease. Georgina talks through her first 5 months of juggling motherhood and being a business owner, with the triumphs and challenges that have followed. We also chat about the importance of taking time for yourself and how keeping up hobbies has been an important way of managi...

Rachel joins me to celebrate 40 episodes of the podcast, as she discusses her unique journey through Hirschsprung's disease and motherhood. Rachel has been a fantastic advocate for Hirschsprung's as well as ostomates and uses her platform to promote handy guides and tips for parents with children who have a similar condition to her. We also talk about Rachel's various charity work and how she beca...

3 time Ironman finisher Jodi Longdo joins me to talk about her near 50 year journey through sport and healthcare with Hirschsprung's Disease. As well as an Ironman, Jodi is also a fully qualified Paediatric Nurse Practitioner, who specialises in GI disorders, as we talk about how she has used her own health experiences to help others. A fascinating and humble woman to talk to, Jodi's journey of pe...

In the second part of my interview with Steffy, we are joined by her daughter Samantha as we discuss sporting life with Hirschsprung's Disease. Samantha reveals her swimming aspirations and the hope to make it to the 2026 Olympics in Los Angeles, whereas Stef talks about her fitness journey and how finding the right support was crucial to her success. Finally we talk about Hirschsprung's Awareness...

This week I chat with Ostique COO, (Chief Operating Officer) Toni Schneider about how the business was formed through 3 school friends with a shared passion for helping others. Around the mid-point of the episode we discuss our love of dogs, including one particular member of the Ostique team, the morale officer, Ralph. Toni explains about the different products that Ostique offers and why they ar...

In what should have probably been episode 1!! Me and my two co-founders, Louisa Shapton and Carla Scaramella, explain Hirschsprung's Disease to you. I will start by talking about what HD is and the various types, Louisa will explain the symptoms and diagnosis and Carla will go through the treatments that you may come to expect if your child is diagnosed with Hirschsprung's Disease. I hope you find...

In this weeks edition of the podcast Charlotte joins me to talk about a variety of conditions including:- EDS, POTS, MCAS, suspected endo, cPTSD and brain damage related balance issues. Charlottes upbeat a positive attitude towards her conditions makes for a fun and engaging chat, as we talk through her biomedical science degree and her plans for the future. Follow Charlotte - @dazzling_zebra_rebo...