Sickboy

How do you fix a face that’s falling apart? In Rachel’s case, you break it even more. What started as trouble swallowing as a teenager turned into a full facial reconstruction. Rachel’s TMJ deterioration left her unable to eat, breathe properly, or even recognize her own face. With her airway down to just 2 millimeters (when it should be 11!), doctors had no choice but to break and rebuild her ent...

"Only move from love, don’t move from fear." That’s the mantra guiding Mark Brand, a world-class chef who went from spiraling into self-destruction to serving over 2,200 meals a day to Vancouver’s most vulnerable. At 27, Mark was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease—a degenerative condition that would eventually shut down his organs. Doctors warned him he’d be on dialysis by 35 and told him to...

Declared dead. Hours later, she opened her eyes—very much alive. From waking up in a chilly morgue to defying every known law of medicine, this episode dives into the spine-tingling reality of Lazarus Syndrome—when someone pronounced clinically dead shocks everyone by suddenly coming back to life. We trace eerie accounts of premature burial fears, ancient “safety coffins,” and real-life cases that...

What if dying is the most transformative experience you'll ever have? David Maginley unpacks the mysteries of death and spirituality, sharing profound insights on near-death experiences, ego deconstruction, and the cultural impact of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). David, a psycho-spiritual therapist, chaplain, and four-time cancer survivor, dives deep into the mysteries of death, dying, and s...

When the odds say you shouldn't be alive, sometimes you wake up and make a podcast application anyway. In this episode, Hannah Maria takes us through her miraculous survival story after a devastating collision with a semi-truck left her with the lowest possible score on the Glasgow Coma Scale. From a shattered pelvis to a brain that decided to take an 11-day nap, her injuries read like a medical t...

When your healthcare system runs on love and unpaid overtime, something's gotta give. This week, we're joined by Liv Mendelsohn, Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, to unpack a staggering reality: for every hour of professional healthcare, there are three hours of unpaid care happening behind closed doors. From accidental caregivers who don't realize they've joined...

When your parents tell you you'll be the exception to CF's cruel rules, you either sink or swim - Madison MacGregor chose to freestyle. When doctors couldn't halt her declining health, Madison went rogue - ditching the CF diet for squash and alternative treatments until she weighed just 88 pounds. From competitive dancing with an IV to battling her medical team at every turn, this self-proclaimed...

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but Brad Arseneau’s here to prove them wrong. At 49, he decided to master skateboarding, a hobby that quickly became a passion—and surprisingly, had nothing to do with the bus accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. Brad’s journey of resilience began not on his skateboard, but his bike. Faced with unimaginable challenges, he refused to l...

On Drugs looks through the lenses of history, pop culture and personal experience to understand how drugs have shaped our world. Because even if it’s just caffeine or ibuprofen, there’s a good chance you’re on drugs right now. More episodes of On Drugs are available at:  https://link.mgln.ai/upajoH

When the pursuit of health becomes unhealthy, it’s time to rewrite the rules. From struggling with orthorexia to becoming a leading voice against diet culture, registered dietitian Abbey Sharp joins us to explore the complex relationship between mental health and eating. Abbey shares her journey from an obsession with "clean eating" to helping others find food freedom, while breaking down popular...

That impulse purchase you made at 2 AM? It wasn't about the thing you bought—it was about that thing that happened when you were seven. In this episode, we sit down with financial expert Jessica Moorhouse to explore the hidden emotional roots of our money habits. From childhood trauma to ADHD, we dive into the surprising ways our mental health shapes our financial decisions. Jessica opens up about...

Sometimes the scariest monsters aren't under your bed—they're hiding behind your ribs. At 31, Christine Elliott found herself staring at a suspicious divot in her breast that would launch her into a battle with not just one, but two formidable opponents. From being a naturopathic devotee to embracing chemotherapy, her journey challenges the false dichotomy between traditional and alternative medic...

What if the secret to fixing your brain was as simple as a thousand tiny sound beams and a really close shave? In this special live episode from the CTO Conference in Toronto, the fellas sit down with Rima, a clinical trial participant who traded Lysol face wipes for focused ultrasound treatment in her battle against debilitating OCD. Dr. Nir Lipsman, a neurosurgeon at Sunnybrook Health Sciences C...

Breaking the silence around infertility isn't easy—but neither is pretending you're fine when Karen from accounting suggests "just relaxing" will help you get pregnant. This week, Dr. Vaneeta Sandhu, founder of the Fertility Wellness Collective, brings her expertise as both a clinical psychologist and someone who's walked the infertility path herself. From navigating the emotional minefield of IVF...

Nature doesn't just heal—it teaches, tests, and transforms. This week, we paddle into the breathtaking Alberta Badlands with filmmaker Mike Lang and Sam Taylor, a cancer mom turning caregiving on its head. Together with Jeremie, stand up paddled 60 KM down the Red Deer River over three days. The whole adventure was documented on Caregivers in the Wild, a web series that throws caregivers into natu...

Not all hangovers leave you blind, but Ashley King’s did. In this episode, the actor and playwright shares her harrowing experience of methanol poisoning after being served a contaminated beverage while on vacation in Bali. Unlike ethanol, the alcohol found in drinks, methanol is highly toxic and can cause severe health issues. This tragedy left Ashley with irreversible vision loss. From the life-...

Blood isn’t just thicker than water—it’s a lifeline, and sometimes it needs saving. In this special three-part episode, we explore leukemia and lymphoma from every angle. First, survivor Leanne Kean opens up about the grit, hope, and humour it took to reclaim her life after cancer. Next, Dr. Mani Larijani reveals the groundbreaking research reshaping blood cancer treatment and offering new hope to...

If we’re so close to gender equality, why does it still feel like women are running a marathon in heels? In this episode, award-winning journalist and bestselling author Liz Renzetti breaks down the illusion of progress when it comes to gender equality. She schools the boys on why caregiving—mostly done by women—is undervalued, how NDAs silence victims of harassment, and why the rise of “tradwives...

From "Why me, God?" to "Well, this is awkward..." Joel goes deep on his decade long tango with a rare cancer diagnosis. No inspirational background music or heartwarming montages here - just raw, unfiltered real talk about what happens when life serves you a hot steaming plate of garbage. Joel takes the fellas through his journey with a cancer, exploring how it rattled his faith, redefined his ide...

They needed certainty. They got chaos. For over a decade, countless people from at least five different countries put their trust in a company offering prenatal paternity tests. It promised clients “99.9% accuracy” — but then routinely, for over a decade, identified the wrong biological fathers. Investigative journalists Jorge Barrera and Rachel Houlihan track down the people whose lives were torn...

Pain doesn’t always look the way people expect it to. Watercolor artist KYRIANNA delves into the reality of living with chronic pain—a sensation she likens to a broken bone that refuses to heal. Art, for her, is more than a passion; it’s a lifeline and a voice for the often invisible struggles of chronic illness. In this episode, she shares how painting helps her express and validate her symptoms...

Solitary confinement isn't just a punishment; for some, it's a childhood reality. In this episode, author Lisa Moore discusses her powerful collaboration with Jack Whalen on Invisible Prisons, a book that reveals the traumatic experiences of children in reform schools, focusing on Jack's harrowing story of isolation. The conversation explores the systemic issues of child abuse, the deep psychologi...

When science and ethics clash, the results can be mind-boggling—and a little unsettling. This week Jer takes the fellas on a Cloning deep dive. It all begins with the recent story of Arthur “Jack” Schubarth, an 81-year-old rancher imprisoned for illegally cloning sheep for trophy hunting, sparking a deeper look into the ethical maze of cloning. From Dolly the sheep's groundbreaking role as the fir...

Even the strongest athletes need a game plan. This week, we dive into the world of endurance sports and type 1 diabetes with Dr. Anne Marie MacDonald, a marathon runner and Ironman triathlete who's been navigating the condition for over 35 years. From nutrition to insulin management, she shares how she juggles the demands of high-intensity training while managing her health. Plus, we explore the l...

They say parenting is the hardest job in the world—now imagine doing it with a disability in a world that often deems you "unfit." This week, author and essayist Jessica Slice joins the fellas to reflect on her experiences with POTS and how disability has shaped her views on attraction, relationships, and parenting. She dives into the societal fear of weakness, offering fresh perspectives on accep...