Sickboy

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 sle...

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 ill...

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 absolut...

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...

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 no...

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 Daydreamin...

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 (ADH...

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...

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...

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...

"My husband had a kidney transplant... I just got breast cancer. Ain't that a kick in the head?" This week, we're joined by Kacy and Thomas, a couple who knows what "in sickness and in health" really means. First, Thomas went through kidney failure, dialysis , and a life-saving transplant from his childhood best friend. Just as life found its new normal, the roles were completely flipped when Kacy...

What's it like getting pepper-sprayed when you have a chronic lung disease? A homicide detective knows what’s up. This week, we sit down with a guest who defies expectations: Jeremy, a homicide detective living with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). We dive into the unique challenges and surprising advantages of managing a demanding, high-stress career alongside a chronic illness. He opens up about the progre...

"Society says it's better dead than disabled." This week, we sit down with Ryan Yellowlees , a counselor and activist who is living—and thriving—with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, decades past his initial prognosis. Ryan gets real about the progression of his condition , the systemic ableism he fights against , and why he's fiercely campaigning against the expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (...

What if your hand suddenly tried to choke you, or a microscopic parasite in your brain was making you horny for cat piss? From our live show at PodSummit in Calgary, the boys take a wild tour through the glitches in the human brain. We explore Alien Hand Syndrome, the brain-hijacking parasite Toxoplasma Gondii, and the profound ethical dilemma of Body Integrity Identity Disorder. Then, we're joine...

After her father's sudden death, she carried a "calcified" grief for 15 years that traditional therapy couldn't touch—until one psychedelic cannabis journey changed everything. This week, we're joined by psychotherapist Angela, founder of Altered Healing, for a fascinating deep dive into the world of psychedelic therapy. Angela challenges the "Cheetos and cartoons" stereotype, making the case for...

Her vertebrae are shaped like footballs, and doctors told her parents she wouldn't live past the age of five. This week, we're joined by the incredible Natasha, who shares her story of living with Morquio Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder. She takes us on the journey of her "two lives": the one before and the one after a spinal stroke during a routine surgery left her paralyzed at 16. Despite the...

What does it feel like to get your dad back for a few beautiful moments of clarity, only to have dementia snatch him away again? This week, we're joined by our dear friend Haley for a powerful and vulnerable conversation about losing her father, the beloved musician Cyril McPhee, to Lewy Body Dementia. Haley opens up about the "trickster" nature of the disease, the profound experience of "pre-grie...

When six months is the best a doctor can offer, hope feels like a cruel joke. In this Breakdown edition of Sickboy, we dig into Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)—a rare disease that once meant certain death but now has science flipping the script. Through narration and three candid interviews, this audio doc traces PAH’s path from despair to possibility. Jane shares what it’s like to have her...

You don’t survive ten years of podcasting without a few scars—and a hell of a lot of stories. In part one of this milestone episode, the guys sit down with Brock, a new intern with a fiery past—literally. From being wrongly accused of arson at age four to navigating life with cerebral palsy, Brock’s journey is as hilarious as it is jaw-dropping. He unpacks what it means to live with PVL, how syste...

Think PMS makes you a little cranky? That's cute. This week, we're diving headfirst into its evil, unhinged cousin: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, or PMDD. Our guest Julia describes it as preparing for "doomsday" every single month —a two-week cycle where her brain basically turns into a rage-filled, paranoid monster that, among other things, absolutely hates her husband. This isn't just about m...

We're not like the other health podcasts — we're weirder. For 10 years and counting, Sickboy has been the forum for open, honest and hilarious conversations destigmatizing all types of illnesses and injuries. Join best friends Jeremie, Brian and Taylor on their journey to laugh through life's most painful conversations. Come for the wildly inappropriate jokes, stay for the conversations that will...

When we last spoke with Cameo in 2023, she was a driven student who seemed to be thriving, managing her mental health in a way that truly worked for her. Then, she reached out with an update. Cameo returns to the show to share the unfiltered reality of what happens when a mental health journey takes a nosedive. In a conversation that is both heartbreaking and incredibly self-aware, she describes b...

You can’t hike your way out of an adrenal crisis. After a sudden diagnosis of Addison’s disease at 23, Aly’s life changed in a single phone call—from invincibility to a strict medication schedule and emergency steroid injections. She shares the harrowing early signs of adrenal failure, the shock of navigating life-threatening illness, and the second crisis that forced her to take her condition ser...

Some people hit walls. Others knock them down, build a lab, raise millions, and call up strangers to make a genetically engineered mouse. When Terry Pirovolakis learned his young son Michael had SPG50 — a rare degenerative disease with no treatment and a grim prognosis — he didn’t spiral. He mobilized. In this jaw-dropping story of parental devotion and scientific hustle, Terry recounts how he wen...

Alex hasn’t peed in 17 years — and he’s been busy. Diagnosed at 11 with a rare kidney disease triggered by a brutal run of childhood illnesses, his life became a blur of seizures, dialysis, and a transplant that didn’t stick. Now, between 7-hour nocturnal dialysis sessions, Alex co-owns two thriving Toronto restaurants and is building a creative community from scratch. In this episode, he talks ab...