Blink | Jake Haendel's Story

Jake is such an amazing person and his story is portrayed with such honesty and detail that I listened to this show from beginning through the final question and answer episode, all in one day. That’s how gripping this story is. I hope that Jake continues to make steady strides in his recovery, as im sure he will. Jake is truly such an inspirational human being. Thank you for sharing this story. I will be sure to share it with others. One comment/question that I wondered is, does anybody else think that maybe Ellen started to distance herself when Jake was getting better because she feared that he knew she had poisoned him? Surely she knows how intelligent he is and I think it began to become clear that much more brain activity had been taking place the entire time, unbeknownst to Doctors and loved ones. With all of that time to sit there with his thoughts, maybe she was concerned that he had figured it out and as soon as he was able to communicate with others that the secret would be out. Just a thought. Although hats off to Jake for getting back into the dating world and focusing on his recovery over whether Ellen did or did not do this. Jake’s mindset and motivation is truly miraculous and inspiring. Corinne Vien did a great job producing this (with Jake, of course). I’m sure I will listen to this again in the future!

I listen to a ton of podcasts and I have to say this is one of the best ones I’ve listened to ever. Both hosts do a great job of telling a story and you just wanna keep listening to the next episode. Jake is very endearing and an incredible storyteller.

I binged this as fast as I could. The storytelling is amazing, the voices of both Corinne and Jake are soothing, and the story is inspiring and astounding. 10/10!

I was captivated and binged the entire thing. But also I found myself wondering what the other side of the story was. They made the wife out to be crazy, but there are a lot of things you could do in a desperate situation that could be painted as nuts, and the wrong decision, that aren’t evil. Also I think the subject, Jake, is also making this podcast along with the host, so it’s not journalism by a neutral third party. Overall, interesting, compelling, inspiring, but definitely holes.

A fundamentally captivating story SHAMEFULLY botched by lack of journalistic ethics. Here’s a summary: caregiver of a heroin addict got ZERO support when her spouse was in hospice. Instead, she got mocked by the spouse’s family (made up of former/current drug addicts), and did things out of desperation and severe grief that she probably really wishes were kept private. Now she’s the subject of a slanderous podcast that accuses her of assault, while making NO attempt to tell her side of the story — whether thru Ellen directly or via an authority on hospice caregiving. Instead, the podcast dedicates an entire episode to Munchausens, thus implying Ellen had this heinous syndrome, but without giving ANY legit evidence to this. In fact, the host ends that episode with something like “I’d ask Jake if he thought Ellen had this, but hasn’t he been thru enough??” OMG! This series started off promising but ends feeling like the host has a giant crush on Jake and is telling her pals about his “crazy” ex to clear the guy of his own red flags. According to this podcast, Jake survived bc of a heroic will to live… What about all that help from his primary caregiver who never gave up on him, even when his own family did! (Aka like when they brought alcohol to a hospice patient!) Maybe in addition to the ads promoting Jake’s new business, the podcast could include some caregiving support hotlines that this emotionally vulnerable group will likely need after listening to how their sacrificial, often self-harming work (look up longevity stats of caregivers) might actually be portrayed as nefarious! As someone coming down from the stress and grief of hospice caregiving, this storytelling feels like the final nail in my mental health coffin. I hope this host doesn’t consider herself a journalist bc wow…. I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets sued for her irresponsible depiction of an already painfully misunderstood, severely emotionally vulnerable, largely self-sacrificing group that is draining their own life force energy to extend the life of their loved one. (And if the host is reading this, please know that while there are SOME parallels to motherhood, hospice caregiving IS NOT THE SAME!!!!! To assimilate Ellen’s efforts with true crime, without better supporting evidence or anyone from her POV, is kinda evil imo.)

Very sad to rate so low but COME ON. This was advertised as true crime, was heavily hinted at that his wife was poisoning him and confessed to it while he was “locked in” but there’s no such crime. Medically interesting but I’m frustrated that I’ve spent so much time on this for zero true crime drama or even an interesting twist. Sadly can’t recommend.