
Hosted by CBC · EN
Sickboy is the only place where terminal diagnoses can peacefully coexist with jokes we probably shouldn't make. Hosted by three best friends, Jeremie, Brian, and Taylor, this show smashes taboos around illness, death, and everything in between. Inspired by Jeremie’s life with Cystic Fibrosis, we dive headfirst into the uncomfortable, the hilarious, and the heartbreaking. We talk to people living with everything from chronic disease to catastrophic injury, mental health struggles to medical miracles - and we do it with radical empathy, zero BS, and the kind of unfiltered jokes that get us kicked out of support groups. If you’ve ever felt weird, broken, or like no one gets it, welcome. New episodes drop every Wednesday. Pull up a seat; it’s gonna get real.

What would you do if you moved out to LA at 18 to chase your dreams, but got handed a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis and a 5-year expiration date instead? Our guest Aria fought through chemo, radiation, and 16 separate surgeries, and actually beat it. But the universe wasn’t done with her. After just two months of remission, the cancer moved to the temporal lobe of her brain, and doctors gave her one year to live. Spoiler alert: she didn't die. Aria decided to surrender to whatever was going to happen and somehow beat terminal brain cancer. But just when she thought she was in the clear, celebrating her one-year cancer-free anniversary on a road trip to Wyoming, she passed out at the wheel and crashed her car at 80 mph. The impact shattered her occipital bone, essentially detaching her skull from her spine. She woke up completely blind, unable to speak, and unable to walk. Buckle up (literally and figuratively) for a real life Final Destination style episode. Aria is a radiant, unkillable badass, and this conversation is a masterclass in fearless resilience. Follow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

This week on Sickboy we bring you the first episode of the latest season of Breathless. We're proud as heck with how this panned out and feel like you will dig it! The Season 2 premiere of Breathless explores a biological and existential revolution. For decades, Cystic Fibrosis was defined by a "physical perimeter"—a list of things that were simply impossible. But with the advent of transformative drugs like Trikafta, those walls are vanishing. Host Jeremie opens with a visceral comparison between a 2017 spiritual "holotropic breathing" experience and the 2021 pharmaceutical miracle of his first dose of Trikafta. We then hear from elite athletes who shattered expectations long before the "miracle drug" existed, and we look at how Cystic Fibrosis Canada is pivoting its entire mission from "extending life" to supporting a life "without limits."

What if you could turn off the most agonizing pain imaginable just by thinking about a waterfall? Or better yet, what if a guy in a purple silk robe could cure you by waving a magnet over your junk? This week, Jeremie takes Brian and Taylor on a wild, mind-bending trip into the billion-dollar industry of Hypnobirthing and the dark, bizarre history of hypnosis. From 18th-century "Animal Magnetism" and the accidental discovery of the placebo effect, to a 19th-century surgeon who removed 80-pound scrotal tumors while his patients literally slept through it, we’re unpacking whether the brain really has a 'mute button' for pain. Is hypnobirthing tapping into a dormant superpower of the human mind, or is it just the ultimate medical gaslight that leaves women trapped in a toxic 'shame spiral' when it hurts? Grab your pocket watch, protect your testicles, and let's get weird.Follow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What do you do when a life-saving medical breakthrough saves almost everyone in your chronic illness community—except you? If you’re new to the show, Cystic Fibrosis is traditionally known as a genetic disease that heavily impacts the lungs. But this week, the fellas sit down with Nicholas Kelly, a registered dietitian who playfully calls himself a "unicorn" because he’s a Black man living with a condition stereotypically labeled as a pasty white person's illness. (Oh, and Taylor passed out right before we hit record, so he’s currently sleeping off-set while Brian stands by with his historically rib-shattering CPR skills) . Nick opens up about his mother bucking the 1980s medical establishment to diagnose him at three months old , outliving a massive string of childhood expiration dates , and surviving an actual "code blue" post-surgery nightmare. He also drops a beautifully perspective-shifting bomb on the room about what it truly feels like to watch his closest friends get saved by the miracle drug Trikafta while his own rare genetic mutations leave him completely ineligible for the club. From highly inappropriate anatomy questions to a profound psychological transition from chasing the clock to building a legacy , this episode is an incredible look at what it means to live life with absolute passion.Follow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What do you do when your own immune system decides to treat your organs like an all-you-can-eat buffet and drops eight separate medical diagnoses on your lap? This week, the brilliant and unapologetically defiant Jennifer Park joins the fellas to tier-rank her massive collection of interlocking illnesses. From competitive pro bodybuilding while navigating liver cirrhosis, to sneaking a giant wooden shower brush into high-level executive meetings just to fight off a systemic itch that literally feels like bugs under her skin, Jennifer is the ultimate biological overachiever. She gets hilariously raw about surviving a catastrophic colostomy bag explosion inside a crowded university bathroom, flying down to Texas for experimental exosome treatments, and the verbal smackdown she gave a snarky transplant surgeon who tried to flex a god complex on her.Follow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What happens when the person keeping you alive is also the person roasting your life choices the hardest? If you’re new to the show, Brock is our brilliant, hilarious resident intern who navigates life with Cerebral Palsy. But this week, we’re turning the spotlight on the real hero of his life. His long-term care worker (and for sure NOT his wife) Katherine, joins the fellas to talk about the chaotic, beautiful, and hilariously messy reality of being a Personal Support Worker (PSW). From catastrophic bladder blunders involving white pants and aggressive speed bumps, to asking the highly inappropriate boundary questions everyone else is too polite to touch, this episode is a raw look at what happens when your medical partner feels less like a sterile clinician and more like a cranky old spouse. But again… Not his spouse. Follow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What happens when your brain is a literal ticking time bomb and nobody tells you until it goes off? Meet Martin. At 16, he was just a normal kid until a rare brain malformation (AVM) ruptured, sending him into a month-long coma where he "tripped balls" to a Lil Wayne soundtrack provided by the ICU staff. But the rupture was only the beginning. After a grueling months long recovery he got hit with a second rupture, a brain infection, and devestating complications he was left with "Sunken Bone Flap Syndrome". A condition where atmospheric pressure literally pushed his scalp into his brain. It’s a story about hitting rock bottom multiple times and finding the "gains" every single time you climb back out.Follow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What happens when you think you have a stubborn UTI, but you’ve actually fractured your pubic bone from running too many damn marathons? This week, the fellas sit down with Genevieve, a distance runner who woke up one morning feeling like she’d been kicked in the box. Literally. After two months of a particularly painful "detective" mission It turns out she has Osteitis Pubis. A stress fracture in the cartilage where your hip bones meet. Genevieve gets raw and hilarious about the work required to find the truth, the vulnerability of pelvic floor physiotherapy (shoutout to the pelvic wand!), and the identity crisis that happens when your body forces you to stop "Forrest Gumping" your way through life’s problems.Genevieve's Newsletter: https://buttondown.com/NarritivitySceneFollow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What does a Super Bowl champion know about a virus most men think is "just a women's problem"? Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has spent his life protecting quarterbacks, but now he’s on a mission to protect your health. In this episode, the NFL star and medical resident joins the boys to strip away the stigma surrounding HPV. We dive into the startling reality that 75% of sexually active Canadians will contract HPV, yet most men have zero clue about the long-term consequences. Laurent breaks down why head and neck cancers are skyrocketing in men and why our current healthcare system doesn't even offer us a way to screen for it.For more info on HPV: Knowhpv.caFollow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What do you do when you’re born with a brain-body communication glitch?. If you’re Dr. Dan, you don't just "manage". You go out and collect a PhD, a Paralympic gold medal in table tennis, and a career as a dating coach just to keep things interesting. This week, the fellas sit down with the legendary Dr. Dan to talk about life with Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. Dan gets real about the "Super Crip" pressure to be ten times better than everyone else just to be seen as equal. But the real meat is in the mindset. As a psychologist and author of The Confidence Equation, Dan breaks down the "veil of misperception," the toxic trap of Instagram comparisons, and why your self-doubt is actually just a bunch of external voices living rent-free in your head. You can find more of Dr. Dan on Instagram: @dr.dan.phdFollow Sickboy: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcastTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcastDiscord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN