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
May 31, 2021 • 1h 2min
Brittle Asthma - My Lungs Are Total Sh*t
Jenny has asthma. Now before you roll your eyes and say "big whoop" just consider for a moment. On average, in America, 10 people die a day from asthma. For Jenny that reality is a little bit more spicy considering she lives with what is called Brittle Asthma — a severe and ultra rare form of asthma. Her lung function has dipped as low as 20%. She's been hospitalised more times than she can count. She's been intubated. She's been ignored, scoffed at, and invalidated by health care professionals. Yet she remains one of the most vibrant and jovial guests we've ever had on the show!
May 28, 2021 • 1h 10min
Can Overworking Kill You?! - Feel Good Friday
New Sickboy merch (https://shop.sickboypodcast.com/) AND a cure for the blind?! Doesn't get any better than this! This week we dive into a couple medical advancements that could bring mega change to those living with certain disabilities. From curing blindness, to finding a way to allow a paraplegic man to type 90 characters a second using frickin telekinesis, to Monkey Pong masters!?! The future is now. Then the gang discusses a sobering study from the WHO about how in 2016 overworking led to the death of 740,000 people. How many hours a week do you work? Have you taken a break lately? Maybe right now is a good time. It's not worth dying over.
May 26, 2021 • 40min
Routine Checkup: Not That Funny w/ Jesse Lipscombe
The game is simple, the implications are complex. Jesse Lipscombe is the man behind the #MakeItAwkward movement and also the co-creator behind Not That Funny, a tabletop game designed to uncover the damaging truths behind everyday jokes directed at many marginalized groups and individuals. This week the fellas have a chat with Jesse about awkward conversations when it comes to health, illness, death, racism and more! You can support the Not That Funny Kickstarter here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jesselipscombe/not-that-funny
May 24, 2021 • 1h 18min
Bullied Into An Eating Disorder: Gynecomastia
Antonio has been through the wringer. It all started with a hormone imbalance that led to developing breasts. This caused years of bullying and self confidence/body issues which eventually led to a severe eating disorder. This week Antonio gets vulnerable as hell and the fellas are here for it. This was an important conversation and we are so glad Antonio had the courage to share so deeply.
May 21, 2021 • 60min
Can COVID-19 Kill Your Boner? - Feel Good Friday
J.O. is bringing the Feel Good energy this week. After battling Lymphoma for three years, the little dude receives a heartwarming standing-O from his entire school! Then we bring the mood down with some sobering news — COVID will kill your boner. Folks with penises are 6 times more likely to develop E.D. with the tiny little virus that could. Speaking of sobering… the UK won’t be any time soon. Could you down 124 pints in a summer? That’s the task that’s been given to those jolly ol’ folks across the pond in order to bring the food and beverage industry back! Finally, we cap it all off with some wild and scary news coming out of our own stomping grounds here in Atlantic Canada. A rare and undiagnosable brain disease. Could it be a close cousin to Mad Cow? Or perhaps aliens?
May 19, 2021 • 42min
Routine Checkup: So Cute You Wanna Crush It — Cute Aggression
Do you ever look at your pet sleeping with its tongue sticking out and think "you're so cute I want to stomp on you"? Or do you ever see a baby and think "Look at its little fingers! They are so small and cute, I want to bite them off!" Or "Look at this baby chinchilla! I want to squeeze it until it's eyes pop out!"? Well if you said yes, then you, my friend, have what is referred to as Cute Aggression! This week we speak with Dr. Katherine — Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and a licensed clinical psychologist — all about the bizarre phenomenon of cute aggression and what she learned by conducting the first neuroscientific study of cute aggression.
May 17, 2021 • 1h 7min
I AM IRON MAN: Hemochromatosis
Usually, nothing good comes out of Googling your symptoms when you’re sick. Sometimes, though, you might actually be able to diagnose yourself. That was the case for today's guest, Justin, who discovered he had hemochromatosis from Googling his bloodwork. What is hemochromatosis, you ask? It's a tricky little blood disorder where too much iron builds up in your body. We're talking, hunks of iron, people! From bad bedside manner to bloodletting, this episode has it all!
May 14, 2021 • 1h 6min
Houston, We Have A Solution: Disabled Astronauts
This week is high octane! We get an update on the preserved tattoo skin of Chris Wenzel. Turns out human remains are fair game when it comes to seizure of assets. Then some FANTASTIC news coming out of the EU. The European Space Agency has opened up its application for its next batch of astronauts. Added to the list of accepted applicants are folks living with physical disabilities! We break down this news and hear from our past guests Caden and Jim Teneycke who live with dwarfism to get their take on the exciting space exploration announcement! Finally, we cover a case report that is too fast & too furious. Find out what happens when you mistake NOS octane booster with NOS energy drink... Yikes.
May 12, 2021 • 50min
Routine Checkup: The Voice of the Caregiver with Maggie Keresteci
Maggie cares. She cares about improving the lives of patients & caregivers alike. As someone who has fallen into the role of caregiver over and over again throughout her life, she knows a thing or two about what it means to give care. This week we talk to Maggie about her role as a caregiver, what she'd like to see change in the current healthcare system and much more!
May 10, 2021 • 1h 4min
Yellow Eyes And Busted Bile Ducts: Biliary Atresia
Mohit is a gem. He uses his music business, marketing, entrepreneurship and patient experience to advocate for equity in the healthcare system. A system he knows all too well. Mohit lived with Biliary Atresia, a rare disease that affects the bile ducts with no known cause. It’s no joke. About 85% of patients die before they are 2 years old. Mohit spent about 70% of the first eleven years of life in hospital. He experienced medical racism. He had a hard time making/maintaining friends his own age. And at a very young age received a liver transplant. Mohit has been through it all and we’re elated to have him be a part of our community.
