Sickboy

What do you do when your spine decides to "leak" before you're even born, leaving you with a "jizzy back rat" and a tube running from your brain to your belly? We’ve covered Spina Bifida before, but never quite like this. Meet Joshua, a man who has spent 48 years navigating the world from a wheelchair and dealing with an exposed spine. AKA Spina Bifida. The fellas get up close and personal with the medical realities of "leaky" spines and the surgical interventions that happen before a baby even hits the delivery room. The wildest part? Joshua can throw a spear further than all of us. We also dig into Joshua's experience in navigating a long distance marriage, and it's adorably heartwarming. Follow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What happens when you go from a senior spring break in Jamaica to poopin "gallons of blood" in the ER? Meet Taryn: 20 years old, a D1 volleyball player for the University of Northern Iowa, and a total boss living with Ulcerative Colitis (UC). After a senior trip to Jamaica turned into a month-long nightmare of abdominal pain, internal bleeding, and a very wrong E. coli diagnosis, Taryn had to face a new reality: a chronic "sister disease" to Crohn's. In this episode, we get into the literal weeds of living with UC. Taryn talks about showing up to college workouts as a rookie looking "deceased," why her teammates thought she had a heart condition, and the awkward-turned-awesome moment she had to tell the whole team why she was actually dying on the floor. If you’re living with IBD, supporting someone who is, or wondering whether you can still chase big goals with a chronic illness, this one’s for you.You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube.Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

What happens when you’re born with a medical anomaly so rare that doctors treat you like a "cluster of defects," but you grow up feeling completely able-bodied? This week, the boys sit down with Kayla, who was born with unilateral anaphthalmia. Which is a fancy way of saying she was born without one of her eyes. But the "missing eye" is actually the least wild part of this story. Kayla takes us deep into the "Wild West" of 90s medicine, where she underwent six major facial surgeries between the ages of six months and ten years - all without anesthesia because doctors back then didn't think babies could feel pain. (Spoiler: They definitely can). We dig into the "cutthroat" nature of the disabled community, the struggle of being "not disabled enough" for resources but "too different" for the able-bodied world, and how a "that really emo haircut" became the ultimate survival tool.You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube!Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord.

It may have started with a joke about getting his "back blown out", but it turned into a wild story of a two-year medical saga involving brutal nerve pain, mobility issues, and a diagnosis nobody saw coming? Meet our new friend Ryan, a professional drummer who felt a literal "pop" in his back while he was sick and quickly realized his life was about to change. After months of being told it was just "getting old" and facing the classic medical gaslighting shuffle, Ryan took his health into his own hands. We dive into the bizarre world of SCNES (Superior Clunial Nerve Entrapment Syndrome)—a condition so rare in adults that the only guy who could fix it was a pediatric surgeon in Cincinnati. Ryan breaks down the "back mice" (lipomas) that mashed his nerves into a cluster, the frustration of being a musician who can't sit on a stool, and the wild reality of having to leave the country just to get a "yes" from a doctor. This one is for anyone who’s ever been told it’s "just back pain" when it absolutely was not.Check out Ryan’s Music:https://www.instagram.com/_kyliefox_/https://www.instagram.com/waylonnapadogan/https://toobadjim.bandcamp.com/Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

What happens when the person paid to have all the answers suddenly gets hit with a medical mystery that turns their world entirely upside down? Vicki Jeha is a counseling therapist who spent years helping people navigate their own minds—until her own body decided to stage a coup. In 2023, mid-therapy session, Vicki’s vision started sliding, her limbs went numb, and she was carried out of her office on a stretcher. The diagnosis? A double-whammy of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and Histamine Intolerance.In this episode, we dig into the "perfect storm" that broke Vicki's immune system, the absolute absurdity of being a therapist who is "allergic to stress," and why a healthy spinach salad is basically poison when your internal "fire alarm" won't stop going off.Follow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What happens when your paragliding wing folds in half 165 feet in the air, sending you on an 11-story plunge directly onto your ass? (Spoiler: You wake up and start a career in musical theater.) Most people’s worst nightmare involves falling out of the sky. For CJ, that nightmare became a violent reality. On a "big air" day in Pemberton, BC, CJ’s paragliding shute collapsed, and he fell 165 feet shattering nearly his entire lower spine, blowing out his sternum, and becoming a walking paraplegic. In this raw and hilarious conversation, CJ breaks down the "snowflake" of unique injuries that come with spinal cord damage. From the itchy feet you can’t reach to the Costco-sized quantities of lube and the absolute horror of a Senna overdose. But CJ didn’t grieve the "old CJ." Instead, he leaned into the discomfort, started saying "yes" to everything, and pivoted from managing risk to playing Rumpelstiltskin. This is a masterclass in radical gratitude, and the absurdity of the human body!Check out CJ's TV project here: https://socializedmedicine.tv You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube. And don't forget to follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

What happens when your body is slowly losing its ability to breathe, but your brain is busy building the future of technology? This week, the fellas (and a very helpful Brock) sit down with Chouaieb (Cho), an AI Black Belt at Google who is quite literally using technology as a personal savior. Cho lives with Ulrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (UCMD), a rare condition that has left his diaphragm functioning at just 16% capacity. For Cho, the "AI revolution" isn't about deepfakes or taking jobs - it's about cloning his own voice so he can keep telling stories to his three kids after his inevitable tracheostomy. We dive into the raw logistics of "engineering a life": from why he has to basically dehydrate himself just to sit through a podcast, to the nightmare of calling 50 hotels just to find one with a bed that fits a medical lift. It’s a conversation about "Career Pivots," the BS "Saint or Pity" binary society forces on disabled people, and why Cho identifies more as an entrepreneur than a patient.Connect with Cho:LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nemriInstagram: @choe_nemriMentorship & Advocacy:FREE Mentorship (Disabled in Tech): https://cal.com/nemri/disabilityProfessional Paid Mentorship: https://mentorcruise.com/mentor/chouaiebnemri/Cho’s Accessibility Projects:* Airbnb Accessibility Analyzer: https://github.com/cnemri/airaccess* WheelAir: A repository of airline wheelchair policies: https://wheelair.netlify.app/You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0EVgIbBQOxtKJ4qjAlfeutzZRfCGV8nbFollow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

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 stable. From the terrifying moment she realized her jaw was atrophying, to the bizarre neurological world of Visual Snow Syndrome, Làyla shares it all with a level of humor and confidence that is honestly infectious.You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0EVgIbBQOxtKJ4qjAlfeutzZRfCGV8nbFollow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

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 cavity. We're talking a spleen, liver, and bowels all fighting for real estate where their lungs were supposed to grow. Jude is living proof that even if you start life with your organs in the wrong room, you can still build a hell of a house.Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

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. In this episode, we dig into the "stew of symptoms" that forced a high-functioning pro into bed rest and the radical neuroplasticity workshop that eventually helped her "climb out" and reclaim her life. Gill’s new book, A Love Affair with the Unknown, is available now.Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

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, "locked-in" experience where she heard every secret her friends whispered and saw her aunt’s birthday wishes in brushstrokes of pink and purple. Melanie shares her "heritage moment" journey of proving every ableist professor wrong by becoming the first legally blind person to graduate from teachers' college in Ontario, despite the system betting she wouldn't make it to Christmas. Melanie’s story is a masterclass in why you should never tell a "determined" woman what she can’t do.Check out the incredible work Melanie does: https://connect4life.ca/Follow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

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 larynx was 70% blocked while on a "restorative" trip to Greece, Marisa’s story is a raw look at identity, ego death, and the absolute chaos of a body in revolt. We dive into the controversial intersection of vaccine injury and infection, the skepticism Black women face in the U.S. healthcare system, and the three questions that forced her to reframe her life as "currently disabled".For all things Marisa - https://www.marisareneelee.com/aboutYou can watch this entire episode over on YouTube.Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord.

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, which rapidly evolved into Necrotizing Fasciitis (the media loves to call it "flesh-eating disease," but Scott sets the record straight). He woke up a month later from a coma to discover he had become a quadruple amputee. It’s a story about losing your body, finding your heart, and the resilience it takes to keep playing the game.Scott's book 'Play From Your Heart' is available now for pre-order: https://librarytalespublishing.com/products/play-from-your-heartYou can watch this entire episode over on YouTube.Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord.

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 years. From her mom’s near-death experience involving a ruptured bowel (and the subsequent delusions that the doctors harvested her organs) to the detective work required to figure out why her mom is buying furniture for imaginary tenants. We get deep into the heavy stuff: the crushing anxiety of wondering if you’re going to inherit your parent’s illness, the guilt of moving across the country to save your own sanity, and the weird, heartbreaking reality of "parenting your parent" before you’ve even had kids of your own.Check out Marnie’s podcast:Giddy Up: https://open.spotify.com/show/5FjHKJoPzNOehPX2B1qr1X?si=fe429e23dec640c0Instagram: @gidddyyyupFollow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

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 organs and slowly killing her. A jam packed episode of heartbreak, hospital psych ward escapes, secret letters, brain washing and home made moats dug around the house and most certainly not up to code. 

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 mind-f*ck of having a partner who literally studies your disease for a living.It’s a masterclass in resilience, humor, and knowing when to say "f*** the billable hour, I need a nap."You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube! Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord.

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 that he definitely has it), the crucial difference between the "Charity Model" and the "Social Model" of disability, and why Lachi’s new book title, I Identify as Blind, is pissing off the internet in the best way possible.Check out RAMPD: rampd.orgFind Lachi: lachimusic.com | @lachimusicFollow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

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 actually explaining why we struggle, but are just describing how we struggle? Dr. Timimi argues that modern psychiatry has fallen down a rabbit hole of "upside-down science," turning ordinary human distress into medical disorders without the biological proof to back it up. We get into the weeds on the "myth" of the chemical imbalance, why psychiatric diagnoses are nothing like diagnosing diabetes, and the potential harm of identifying too closely with a label. Dr. Timimi's Work: Visit samitimimi.co.ukFollow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

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 history of framing guns as a "public health crisis."Is owning a firearm a symptom of sickness? Or is the way we talk about it the real problem?About the Guest: Noah S. Schwartz is an assistant professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford, BC. His research looks at the politics of the gun debate in Canada and the United States.Resources:Read the Book: Targeted: Citizenship, Advocacy, and Gun Control in Canada is available now.Find Noah: Visit noahschwartz.caFollow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok, and Discord!

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 her body to physically fail during flare-ups? Erum shares her harrowing and resilient story, from a terrifying ER visit where doctors suspected a brain tumor or MS, to the "magic trick" test that finally led to her FND diagnosis. We discuss the profound connection between her condition and a history of severe childhood trauma, including growing up as a child of deaf adults (CODA) and surviving abuse. Plus, we talk about the healing power of boxing and how FND finally forced her to stop people-pleasing.You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube!Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord.

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 can’t help ourselves." We get into the weeds of that "inner tubby" feeling, why the mirror is the "devil," whether this is all just a "character flaw," and if being uncomfortable in your own skin is the secret source of all our other hang-ups. This is a hilarious, sad, and deeply human chat about what it's like to feel fat, even when you're not.Be sure to listen to "Tubby" wherever you get your podcasts! Follow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN