In this powerful and inspiring episode of The Bowel Chronicles I sit down with Carolyn Houlihan from Cork, the incredible mind and heart behind a groundbreaking new ostomy innovation: the Ostomy Cube.

The Ostomy Cube is a compact, self-contained ostomy care unit designed to be installed within any existing bathroom environment. Without the need for major structural changes, it allows ostomates to adapt standard toilet facilities to meet their specific needs - both at home and in public spaces. The unit connects directly to standard hot and cold water supplies and to the waste outlet of a bathroom sink, making installation simple using conventional plumbing fittings.

This conversation goes far beyond product design.

Carolyn shares the deeply personal journey that led to the creation of the Ostomy Cube, a time during pregnancy when severe carpal tunnel syndrome caused her to lose strength and function in both hands, stripping away her independence with stoma care. Through self-reflection, she began asking a powerful question: What do ostomates truly need when independence is taken away?

From that question, the Ostomy Cube was born.

After five rigorous years of design, development, and translating her original 3D concept into a fully realised product, the Ostomy Cube is now ready to go to market. We talk openly about the upcoming pilot scheme launching in the next few weeks, what this means for the ostomy community, and Carolyn’s long-term vision for more inclusive, accessible facilities worldwide.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone living with a stoma, supporting someone who is, working in healthcare, or passionate about accessibility, independence, and innovation driven by lived experience.

Behind the scenes.

Behind the vision.

Behind a product that could truly change lives.

To find out more about the Ostomy Cube join the private community here

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1DaF9WQQg2/?mibextid=wwXIfr

In this episode of The Bowel Chronicles, I’m joined by the incredible Ailidh — just 28 years old and already carrying a lifetime of resilience, strength, and hard-won hope.

Ailidh lives with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, primarily hypermobile EDS, and now an ileostomy — but her journey to answers was anything but straightforward. From birth, her bowels caused her significant issues, yet as a young teenager, her pain was misunderstood. At just 12 years old, she was diagnosed with anorexia, when in reality eating caused her abdomen excruciating pain.

What followed was a deeply traumatic chapter — admission to a mental health facility at such a young age, feeling isolated, unheard, and misunderstood, while her body continued to fail her. Through it all, Ailidh shares how her mum became her fiercest advocate, fighting tirelessly to uncover the truth and stand by her daughter when it felt like no one else would.

Years later, exploratory surgery finally revealed the reality of what her body had been enduring, leading to a subtotal hysterectomy and ultimately an ileostomy — a turning point that changed everything.

In this raw, honest, and deeply touching conversation, Ailidh opens up about the emotional toll of medical trauma, the loneliness of being dismissed, and the healing that can come when answers are finally found. She also shares the beauty of life on the other side of stoma surgery — including finding love with her life partner, who is also an ostomate.

This episode is real, emotional, and incredibly inspiring. A reminder that even in the darkest moments, hope can still exist — and sometimes, a stoma truly is the beginning of life.

Tune in for a very real, very raw, and truly inspiring episode.

In this episode of The Bowel Chronicles, I sit down with Maria Manousi, Business Development Manager at SuportX, a very well known brand in the ostomy world for support garments. 

Together, we have an open and honest conversation about stoma surgery, the risk of hernias, and what can be done to both prevent and support them. Maria shares invaluable insights into life post-surgery, the range of support garments available, and how they can make a huge difference to comfort, confidence, and quality of life.

If you’re preparing for stoma surgery, adjusting to life after surgery, or have concerns about hernias or parastomal hernias, this episode is full of knowledge, reassurance, and practical advice.

Tune in for a supportive, empowering discussion that every ostomate and caregiver should hear.

SuportX 

https://suportx.co.uk/?srsltid=AfmBOophHq_W_xvu274VQlF6XnSV7TtHSDJU9FFlm5CKAeeboqSlGBKO

https://www.instagram.com/suportx?igsh=MTE5eG5iNThoamk4dw==

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

https://www.instagram.com/jamiecassel?igsh=MWt0ZmN0dmFuMDhwZg==

In this powerful episode of The Bowel Chronicles, we sit down with 30-year-old Mikey from Harrogate — a passionate rugby player, fitness enthusiast, and music lover — who bravely shares his whirlwind journey with Ulcerative Colitis.

Diagnosed just eight weeks before undergoing emergency ileostomy surgery in February 2025, Mikey opens up about the terrifying 7-week hospital stay where he lost over 24kg and faced the fight of his life. With raw honesty, he walks us through the emotional and physical challenges, the decision to have life-saving stoma surgery, and how he’s not only adjusted but thrived post-op.

Now back into fitness, embracing his stoma, and advocating for more awareness among men, Mikey’s story is one of courage, transformation, and hope. He’s living proof that life with a stoma isn’t the end — it’s a powerful new beginning.

Whether you’re navigating your own IBD journey or want to hear an inspiring story of resilience, this one’s not to be missed.

Guest: Mikey Adams

https://www.instagram.com/soldiertostoma?igsh=MWgweWtwendhbmZ5bQ==

In this powerful and emotional episode, I speak with 28-year-old Lucy from Dursley, who bravely shares her personal journey from living a perfectly healthy life to facing sudden bladder retention in 2019. What followed was a life-altering path of self-catheterisation, infections, and eventually the decision to have a urostomy created in August 2023.

Lucy opens up about how her suprapubic catheter impacted her daily life and mental wellbeing, and how choosing to have urostomy surgery gave her back her confidence, energy, and zest for life. She reminds us that stoma surgery isn’t just for cancer patients — many people, like her, live with chronic conditions such as interstitial cystitis, fibromyalgia, polycystic ovaries, and endometriosis, which can lead to needing a stoma.

This episode is raw, real, and incredibly empowering. Lucy is now thriving, proving that life with a stoma can be full, joyful, and limitless. 

Guest: Lucy Pugh

https://www.instagram.com/uwon_the_urostomy?igsh=cWljMnpzNmRvYXNr

In this powerful episode of The Bowel Chronicles, we sit down with 24-year-old Emma from Lincoln, who takes us on a raw, emotional, and incredibly brave journey through her life with chronic illness. Diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease during her GCSEs, Emma battled years of failed treatments and biologics until life-saving ileostomy surgery became her only option.

Emma shares how her journey didn’t stop there — after enduring multiple bouts of sepsis and being diagnosed with small bowel dysmotility, she now lives with intestinal failure. Today, Emma lives with an ileostomy stoma, a PEG tube into her stomach, and a Jej tube for medication and feeding.

This episode dives deep into the reality of living with medical devices, the isolation that can come with it, and the empowerment that follows vulnerability. Emma opens up about finding her quality of life again — going out to concerts, social events, and now planning her first holiday with her tubes and stoma. Her bravery, resilience, and honesty shine through, and it’s no wonder she’s been recognized with a bravery award for sharing her journey.

This is an episode not to be missed — it’s heartbreaking, hopeful, and beautifully human. 

Guest:Emma Sellars

https://www.instagram.com/emmas_journeyyxo?igsh=MXY3OHdzdnNvOHM3dA==

In this powerful episode of The Bowel Chronicles, we speak to Damian, a father from the North Wales coast in his early 40s, who shares his incredible journey living with Crohn’s disease and navigating life after emergency surgery.

In 2015, Damian was rushed into theatre with the warning he may wake up with a stoma — what followed was something no one expected. He woke up with not one, but three stomas. Damian opens up about the emotional impact of that moment, the difficulty he had in even looking at his stomas, and the love and support of his hands-on wife who helped him through those early hospital days.

Now healthier and fitter than he’s been in years, Damian shares the highs and lows of living with IBD, undergoing Barbie butt surgery in 2024, and what life looks like today as a working dad with a stoma. He also speaks with raw honesty about the emotional challenge of supporting his young son, who has recently been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease too.

This episode is one of resilience, family, and redefining strength through chronic illness. You don’t want to miss this one.

Guest:Damian Bellis

https://www.instagram.com/lifetakes_guts?igsh=MXNxeGV2MWQ1anZsNg==

In this powerful and emotional episode of The Bowel Chronicles, we sit down with 28-year-old Evie, who courageously opens up about her life-changing journey with bladder failure. After pelvic surgery at just 21, Evie was diagnosed with Fowler’s syndrome — a rare condition that caused her bladder to stop functioning.

Evie shares the raw truth of being catheterised in her early 20s, undergoing multiple procedures including a suprapubic catheter and a Mitrofanoff, which sadly failed. In October 2023, she finally had urostomy surgery — a turning point that gave her a new lease on life.

From battling chronic infections and loss of independence, to now living with a stoma and regaining a sense of normalcy, Evie’s story is a powerful reminder that even through the darkest moments, there is always hope. Her honesty, strength, and vulnerability will inspire anyone navigating their own journey with chronic illness or stoma life.

Tune in and feel connected — because you are never alone. 

Guest: Evie Hodgson 

https://www.instagram.com/eviiemay96?igsh=MTZ0eDBnMGNkc2c4Zg==

In this episode of The Bowel Chronicles, I sit down with the incredibly inspiring Aimee, also known online as @NoBladderBabe.  At just 23 years old, Aimee opens up about her life-altering journey with Fowlers Syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Aimee shares the raw and real truth about navigating life after her bladder began to retain urine, leading her to self-catheterize and later live with a suprapubic catheter. Eventually, with no alternative but to undergo urostomy surgery—and just six months post-op, she’s already empowering others with her story.

Now a passionate volunteer for Fowlers Syndrome UK, Aimee is on a mission to raise awareness around urological conditions that are often misunderstood or overlooked. From the physical challenges to the emotional rollercoaster, Aimee reminds us that stomas aren’t the end—they’re a new beginning.

This is a must-listen episode for anyone looking for hope, strength, and a deeper understanding of urology, invisible illness, and chronic health resilience.

🎧 Hit play and join us for this empowering chat that breaks stigmas and builds awareness.

Guest: Aimee Herman

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/nobladderbabe?igsh=OGdkNWVzeW4zcHlt

TikTok

https://www.tiktok.com/@nobladderbabe?_t=ZN-8whwWO2aadK&_r=1

YouTube Urostomy vlog

https://youtu.be/_aQ0qU9JTLE

Fowlers syndrome Uk

https://www.instagram.com/fowlerssyndrome?igsh=cmpsY2libXNheHc2