Sickboy

What do you do when your own tongue starts "shedding" like a snake and your doctor tells you to just "eat a banana"? Imagine waking up and seeing the world through 90s TV static, while your muscles literally stretch and tear like gum when you yawn. Làyla joins the boys to break down the reality of living with Refractory Myasthenia Gravis (MG), a version of the illness so stubborn it requires constant infusions just to keep her stab...

What happens when your abdomen decides it's tired of the basement and wants to move into the penthouse suite? This week, we sit down with Jude, who was born with a rare birth defect called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). In plain English: they had a hole in their diaphragm (the dinner-plate-sized muscle that keeps your "upstairs" and "downstairs" separate) and their organs decided to throw a housewarming party in their chest...

What happens when a "Professional Knower" gets hit with a disease that has absolutely zero f*cking answers? Broadcasting legend and former CBC host Gill Deacon spent her life demanding answers for the public, but in 2022, her own body became the ultimate mystery. From her heart feeling like a "motorized toy" to wearing a wool toque 24/7 just to feel a semblance of warmth, Gill takes us through the 20-month wilderness of Long COVID....

Imagine being 21 years old, trapped in a two-week coma, completely unable to move or speak, while your sister leans over your bed and confesses her deepest darkest secret to you, and you hear the whole thing.

This week, we sit down with Melanie, who at 21 years old, went from a "parking lot" migraine on the 401 to a life-saving brain surgery that left her in a two-week coma . But Melanie wasn't just "asleep"—she describes a vivid, "...

Briefing the President one day, forgetting how to cook bacon the next. What happens when a high-achieving powerhouse (Harvard grad, Wall Street alum, and Obama White House staffer) suddenly loses her most prized asset: her mind? Marisa Renee Lee joins the boys to get brutally honest about her "dumpster fire" journey with Long COVID. From the visceral pain of biting through a night guard in her sleep to the terrifying moment her lar...

You know that irrational fear that a simple sore throat or a gym injury might actually be something way worse? Well, for Scott, that nightmare became a reality in the most terrifying way possible. At 35, Scott was living the dream as an elite, nationally ranked college soccer coach. He was unstoppable—until he wasn't. After feeling under the weather which doctors initially dismissed as a minor illness turned out to be Group A Strep...

It’s been eight years since Marnie first sat down with the fellas, and let’s just say… things haven’t exactly slowed down. Back in 2018, Marnie was a 23-year-old trying to navigate her mother’s sudden and terrifying diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia. Now, at 31, she’s back in the studio to give us the raw, unfiltered update on what happens after the diagnosis. Marnie takes us through the absolute rollercoaster of the last few yea...

This week on Sickboy, we go way back to an episode we originally aired in 2018. We chat with Marnie about an experience that isn't her own but one that has changed her life forever. Paranoid Schizophrenia. She grew up in a household where mom and dad don't get along. They fall into a devastating divorce, and soon after mom begins to believe that drones with lasers are following her everywhere and silently attacking her internal org...

You’re in a high-stakes meeting. You’re wearing a power suit. And you just shit your ankle socks. What do you do? This week, we sit down with Meg, a lawyer who is navigating the high-pressure corporate world while battling Crohn’s Disease. We dive deep into the messy side of chronic illness that LinkedIn doesn't tell you about: The shame of "potty breaks," the legal right to accommodations that nobody talks about, and the absolute ...

Lachi thinks the way we talk about disability is boring, so she’s here to make it glam, loud, and impossible to ignore. This week, the boys are joined by recording artist, Grammy Trustee, and CEO of RAMPD, Lachi. She breaks down why she went from throwing her white cane into traffic as a kid to turning it into a high-fashion statement today. We dive deep into the concept of "Maladaptive Daydreaming" (and Jer’s sudden realization th...

Dr. Sami Timimi is a psychiatrist with a bone to pick with his own profession: he thinks we’ve fallen down a diagnostic rabbit hole, and he’s here to help us climb back out. This week, the boys sit down with the child psychiatrist who is effectively flipping the table on his own profession. We live in an era where everyone and their dog seems to have a diagnosis. But what if those labels (ADHD, Depression, Autism) aren't actua...

Welp... Jer bought a gun. And let's just say his progressive friend group had some thoughts. This week, the boys are joined by Noah Schwartz, author of Targeted, to figure out why the topic of firearms immediately feels like a diagnosis. We dive into Jer's journey to getting his PAL (for the love of ethical moose meat, not a zombie apocalypse... probably), the massive cultural gap between Canadian and American gun owners, and the h...

Imagine your brain’s hardware is perfect, but the software is glitching so badly your body stops working.

We sit down with Erum, a biochemist who navigates the world with a rare and often misunderstood condition: Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). We Raw Dog into the fascinating science behind the diagnosis. Basically her brain has a "software glitch" but the hardware is pristine. So how, and why is it causing the left side of ...

This week, we're joined by legendary filmmaker and noted curmudgeon Alan Zweig. He’s spent his career being unflinchingly honest about every insecurity in the book; loneliness, obsession, failure, but he’s always avoided the one thing he admits he thinks about most: his weight. Now, he's finally forcing himself to talk about it with his new podcast, "Tubby," which he perfectly describes as "a self-help podcast for those of us that ...

"My husband had a kidney transplant... I just got breast cancer. Ain't that a kick in the head?" This week, we're joined by Kacy and Thomas, a couple who knows what "in sickness and in health" really means. First, Thomas went through kidney failure, dialysis , and a life-saving transplant from his childhood best friend. Just as life found its new normal, the roles were completely flipped when Kacy was diagnosed with an aggressive, ...

What's it like getting pepper-sprayed when you have a chronic lung disease? A homicide detective knows what’s up. This week, we sit down with a guest who defies expectations: Jeremy, a homicide detective living with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). We dive into the unique challenges and surprising advantages of managing a demanding, high-stress career alongside a chronic illness. He opens up about the progression of his CF, the profound impac...

"Society says it's better dead than disabled." This week, we sit down with Ryan Yellowlees , a counselor and activist who is living—and thriving—with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, decades past his initial prognosis. Ryan gets real about the progression of his condition , the systemic ableism he fights against , and why he's fiercely campaigning against the expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), calling it modern-day eugeni...

What if your hand suddenly tried to choke you, or a microscopic parasite in your brain was making you horny for cat piss? From our live show at PodSummit in Calgary, the boys take a wild tour through the glitches in the human brain. We explore Alien Hand Syndrome, the brain-hijacking parasite Toxoplasma Gondii, and the profound ethical dilemma of Body Integrity Identity Disorder. Then, we're joined by our incredible new teammate, P...

After her father's sudden death, she carried a "calcified" grief for 15 years that traditional therapy couldn't touch—until one psychedelic cannabis journey changed everything. This week, we're joined by psychotherapist Angela, founder of Altered Healing, for a fascinating deep dive into the world of psychedelic therapy. Angela challenges the "Cheetos and cartoons" stereotype, making the case for cannabis as a powerful medicine for...