A Note of Hope x The Survival Project Podcast: "Your story could be someone else's survival guide."
- Ellie Howe
- Nov 28, 2025
- 2 min read
“Your story could be someone else’s survival guide."
This message is at the heart behind patient advocate Jonathan Healy’s newest project, The Survival Project Podcast (and a sentiment very much shared by the work I try to do here at A Note of Hope!).
Jonathan, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s in 2003, has spent years openly sharing his journey on Instagram, as well as through his work as an ambassador for Crohn’s & Colitis Ireland. Now, he’s created a new space dedicated to sharing real stories from the chronic illness community who are navigating the common challenges that come along with this as well as, what he calls, the “messy middle.” As someone currently living right in that "messy middle" myself - trying to process everything I’ve been through (and are still going through!) while learning what life looks like now - when Johnathan reached out and asked if I would share my story on the podcast, I felt both humbled and incredibly honoured to be part of his new venture.
In my episode, our conversation moved through some of the hardest and most defining parts of my journey including what it felt like to be dismissed, labelled dramatic, and told to “man up” by doctors, before becoming bed bound, reliant on artificial nutrition, and being told my illness was “life-limiting”. However, we also talked about what my life looks like six years later, from undergoing life-changing surgery to my recovery, building A Note of Hope, returning to university to study English, and what my hopes are for the future!
As always, I hope that by sharing my story, someone out there might feel a little less alone in theirs! Thank you to Jonathan for giving me (and the chronic illness community!) a platform - You can follow Jonathan and The Survival Project on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, and find links to my episode below.
Watch the full episode below on the Survival Projects YouTube channel:
You can also listen on Spotify
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