In this powerful and emotional episode of The Bowel Chronicles, we sit down with 26-year-old Jamie from London — an engineer with a love for fitness, travel, sports, hiking, and music. Diagnosed with ulcerative colitis at just 16, Jamie opens up about navigating teenage life with a hidden chronic illness, including multiple hospitalisations, severe flare-ups, and the trauma of living with invisible symptoms while trying to be a “normal” teenager.

Jamie shares candidly about undergoing his first stoma surgery at 17, battling sepsis, and eventually facing reversal surgery, J-pouch complications, and most recently, permanent stoma and Barbie butt surgery just three months ago.

But this episode goes beyond the physical — Jamie gets real about the mental toll of living with IBD. We talk about vulnerability, counselling, relationships, and how seeking help was a turning point in his healing. This is an episode filled with raw honesty, strength, and hope — one that will resonate with anyone affected by chronic illness or supporting someone who is.

Guest: Jamie Cassel

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