

Sickboy
CBC
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.Follow Sickboy on Instagram & TikTok!
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 16, 2022 • 1h 3min
Underpaid & Overworked: The Trauma of Nursing
This week is all about the current state of nursing in North America. Jer and Tay are joined by a special co-host, Keara, a CVICU nurse in Halifax. They are joined by Chelsea, a registered nurse fresh out of the ICU post-COVID-19 pandemic! Living in Edmonton, Alberta. Jer and Tay sit back and let Chelsea and Keara break down how nurses in Canada are underpaid and overworked. Burnout is at an all-time high and it’s having a direct impact on our health.
OTTAWA! We're coming to you for a live show on November 16th! Grab your tickets here - https://www.algonquinsa.com/event/sickboy-podcast-live-show/
Join the post-episode conversation over on Discord! https://discord.gg/expeUDN

Nov 14, 2022 • 57min
The Other Side of Depression
Neil Kelders is a mental health and well-being advocate and coach who since his teenage years has suffered from depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation. After 21 years of suffering alone, Neil talked for the first time. Through that simple act, Neil took responsibility through action, and his life was never the same again. This week he joins the fellas to discuss masking, the importance of using your voice when you are struggling, and how he manages his struggles with depression. Neil’s new book ‘The Other Side: A memoir of hope in the midst of depression’ is on pre-sale now!
OTTAWA! We're coming to you for a live show on November 16th! Grab your tickets here - https://www.algonquinsa.com/event/sickboy-podcast-live-show/
Join the post-episode conversation over on Discord! https://discord.gg/expeUDN

Nov 11, 2022 • 1h 7min
The Invisible Sexuality & Romance - Feel Good Friday
Cenobites are a small price to pay when having fun and learning too! The health care system is a hot dumpster fire everywhere you look! In the U.S. an ER called 911 on themselves?! Asexuality doesn't get much air time, but one psych researcher is looking to change that! One woman had to beg for care at the IWK while going through labour. The clitoris is absolutely jam packed with nerve fibres, and one doctor has discovered the actual number of nerve fibres all thanks to gender affirming surgeries! Did you hear? Picking your nose leads to Alzheimer's.
OTTAWA! We're coming to you for a live show on November 16th! Grab your tickets here - https://www.algonquinsa.com/event/sickboy-podcast-live-show/
Join the post-episode conversation over on Discord! https://discord.gg/expeUDN

Nov 9, 2022 • 36min
Not Flossing is the Mouth Equivalent of Not Wiping Your Butt - Dental Care In Canada
Leanne Huvenaars is a Metis dental hygienist from Saskatchewan who has previously served as the President of the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association. She is the co-owner of Tisdale Dental and Dental Hygiene Clinic and T2 Dental and Dental Hygiene clinic. This week she joins Jer and Brian to discuss her work, the importance of dental care, and how Indigenous folks in Canada are suffering from much higher rates of disease and decay. She also informs us how bad not flossing really is!

Nov 7, 2022 • 1h 9min
Dinosaur Bones - Ankylosing Spondylitis
Dylan is a new father, a dancer, actor, stunt performer and bar manager at Halifax's Bar Kismet! He also is dealing with an inflammatory disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis. Over time this disease can cause some of the bones in the spine (vertebrae) to fuse. Dylan joins the boys to discuss how he's managed to navigate life as an extremely physical person while dealing with a genetic illness that has a massive physical impact, and how our physical health is in a way attached to our mental health as well.
OTTAWA! We're coming to you for a live show on November 16th! Grab your tickets here - https://www.algonquinsa.com/event/sickboy-podcast-live-show/
Join the post-episode conversation over on Discord! https://discord.gg/expeUDN

Nov 4, 2022 • 50min
Locked Down Inside Disney Land - Feel Good Friday
The boys are back! This week Taylor and Jeremie discuss how thousands of people at Shanghai’s Disney Resort were locked inside during a COVID outbreak - FUN! Taylor has a horrible recurring nightmare. Luckily scientists have discovered a way to turn your bad dreams into good dreams! An Iranian man who didn't wash for half a century dies at 94 after he finally took a bath. Apparently nuns watch porn. Finally the fellas talk about how scientists have grown human brain cells in rat pups in the hopes of studying diseases within the brain!
OTTAWA! We're coming to you for a live show on November 16th! Grab your tickets here - https://www.algonquinsa.com/event/sickboy-podcast-live-show/
Join the post-episode conversation over on Discord! https://discord.gg/expeUDN

Nov 2, 2022 • 1h 4min
Throwback — The Order Of The Good Death w/ Caitlin Doughty
One more throwback while the boys are on vacation! What consists of a good death? According to Caitlin Doughty, it is staring down your death fears—whether it be your own death, the death of those you love, the pain of dying, the afterlife (or lack thereof), grief, corpses, bodily decomposition, or all of the above. Accepting that death itself is natural, but the death anxiety of modern culture is not. Caitlin is a mortician, activist, and funeral industry rabble-rouser. We dive deep into the different ways in which the world deals with death. From raking hot bones out of an oven to vultures ceremoniously eating human remains to wrapping bodies in a shroud and burying it three feet under the earth, there are many options for us to plan our death. This episode is not to be missed!

Oct 31, 2022 • 1h 7min
Throwback - No Colon Still Rollin': Hirschsprung's Disease
From way back in 2016 is a conversation that stuck with us for years! Stomas, ports, megacolons, no colons, and dogs. This weeks episode is all sorts of silly, disgusting, hilarious, and fascinating. Patrick, much like dog, has only one meter of small intestine. He has Hirschsprung's Disease, a form of megacolon. What is a megacolon? Exactly what it sounds like, a big ass colon. With no colon, a jajunostomy, a port and a useless asshole, Patrick lives a rather interesting life. Get ready for some silly.

Oct 28, 2022 • 1h 42min
Throwback - The Gene Daddy: Feel Good Friday
With the fellas on vacation we throwback to earlier in 2021: A new "Human Challenge Study" is coming to the UK. The gang weigh in on what price is right when risking your wellbeing in the name of science. Speaking of science, some group of smart people are trying to recreate an AI super sniffing robot dog to either sniff out cancer, or eradicate the planet of humans. Good boy. Then the fellas speak with Joshua Keyes, a certified genetic counsellor out of Boulder, Colorado! What the heck is genetic counselling? What role does it play in diagnosis & treatment? Is there a difference between the work that he does and the online services like 23&me? Joshua gives us all the deets on everything you didn't realize you wanted to know about your genes.

Oct 26, 2022 • 1h 4min
The Politics Of Life-Saving Healthcare w/ The Honorable Zach Churchill
Zachariah Churchill is a Canadian MLA from Nova Scotia. He serves as a member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for Yarmouth. During his tenure as health minister, Zach committed to providing drug coverage for Trikafta, a life-saving drug for people with cystic fibrosis. In opposition, Zach advocated for this commitment to be followed through and was successful. Cystic fibrosis patients in Nova Scotia began receiving coverage on November 18, 2021. This week Zach joins the fellas to give them an inside look at what it means to be the health minister.


