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.

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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.

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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/

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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/about

You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube.

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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-heart

You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube.

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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=fe429e23dec640c0

Instagram: @gidddyyyup

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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!

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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.org

Find Lachi: lachimusic.com | @lachimusic

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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.uk

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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.ca

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