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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.phd Follow Sickboy:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcast Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcast Discord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What do high-performance fighter jets and a stage four cancer diagnosis have in common? More than you think. This week, we’re joined by Dr. Avishek “Avi” Kumar, a man who pulls double duty as both a practicing oncologist and a U.S. Air Force Flight Surgeon. Avi spends his time breaking the sound barrier in F-16s and fighting the "slow-motion car crash" of cancer diagnoses in young adults. We dive into the "too young" trap: why 30-year-olds are increasingly being hit with colon cancer and why the "warning lights" are being ignored. From the G-force toll on the body to the "caliber" of your poop (yes, Avi uses military terms for dookie) this episode is about unlearning the shame that is quite literally killing us.  Avi's IG: https://www.instagram.com/avikumarmd/ Follow Sickboy:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcast Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcast Discord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What happens when your body decides to Marie Kondo your entire large intestine, but the healthcare system treats your "vestibule" like an optional extra? This week we sit down with Emily. At 23, she went from a "healthy" young woman to shitting blood 20 times a day which eventually led to living life with a permanent Barbie butthole. But the real horror story isn't the Ulcerative Colitis diagnosis; it’s what happens when you try to navigate a high-risk pregnancy in a system that compartmentalizes your "gut" from your "baby" until the two collide in a traumatic, 25-week micro-preemie delivery. 

What do you do when your spine decides to "leak" before you're even born, leaving you with a "jizzy back rat" and a tube running from your brain to your belly? We’ve covered Spina Bifida before, but never quite like this. Meet Joshua, a man who has spent 48 years navigating the world from a wheelchair and dealing with an exposed spine. AKA Spina Bifida. The fellas get up close and personal with the medical realities of "leaky" spines and the surgical interventions that happen before a baby even hits the delivery room. The wildest part? Joshua can throw a spear further than all of us. We also dig into Joshua's experience in navigating a long distance marriage, and it's adorably heartwarming.  Follow Sickboy:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcast Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcast Discord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What happens when you go from a senior spring break in Jamaica to poopin "gallons of blood" in the ER? Meet Taryn: 20 years old, a D1 volleyball player for the University of Northern Iowa, and a total boss living with Ulcerative Colitis (UC). After a senior trip to Jamaica turned into a month-long nightmare of abdominal pain, internal bleeding, and a very wrong E. coli diagnosis, Taryn had to face a new reality: a chronic "sister disease" to Crohn's. In this episode, we get into the literal weeds of living with UC. Taryn talks about showing up to college workouts as a rookie looking "deceased," why her teammates thought she had a heart condition, and the awkward-turned-awesome moment she had to tell the whole team why she was actually dying on the floor. If you’re living with IBD, supporting someone who is, or wondering whether you can still chase big goals with a chronic illness, this one’s for you. You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube. Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

What happens when you’re born with a medical anomaly so rare that doctors treat you like a "cluster of defects," but you grow up feeling completely able-bodied? This week, the boys sit down with Kayla, who was born with unilateral anaphthalmia. Which is a fancy way of saying she was born without one of her eyes. But the "missing eye" is actually the least wild part of this story. Kayla takes us deep into the "Wild West" of 90s medicine, where she underwent six major facial surgeries between the ages of six months and ten years - all without anesthesia because doctors back then didn't think babies could feel pain. (Spoiler: They definitely can). We dig into the "cutthroat" nature of the disabled community, the struggle of being "not disabled enough" for resources but "too different" for the able-bodied world, and how a "that really emo haircut" became the ultimate survival tool. You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube! Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord.

It may have started with a joke about getting his "back blown out", but it turned into a wild story of a two-year medical saga involving brutal nerve pain, mobility issues, and a diagnosis nobody saw coming? Meet our new friend Ryan, a professional drummer who felt a literal "pop" in his back while he was sick and quickly realized his life was about to change. After months of being told it was just "getting old" and facing the classic medical gaslighting shuffle, Ryan took his health into his own hands. We dive into the bizarre world of SCNES (Superior Clunial Nerve Entrapment Syndrome)—a condition so rare in adults that the only guy who could fix it was a pediatric surgeon in Cincinnati. Ryan breaks down the "back mice" (lipomas) that mashed his nerves into a cluster, the frustration of being a musician who can't sit on a stool, and the wild reality of having to leave the country just to get a "yes" from a doctor. This one is for anyone who’s ever been told it’s "just back pain" when it absolutely was not. Check out Ryan’s Music: https://www.instagram.com/_kyliefox_/ https://www.instagram.com/waylonnapadogan/ https://toobadjim.bandcamp.com/ Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

What happens when the person paid to have all the answers suddenly gets hit with a medical mystery that turns their world entirely upside down? Vicki Jeha is a counseling therapist who spent years helping people navigate their own minds—until her own body decided to stage a coup. In 2023, mid-therapy session, Vicki’s vision started sliding, her limbs went numb, and she was carried out of her office on a stretcher. The diagnosis? A double-whammy of Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and Histamine Intolerance.In this episode, we dig into the "perfect storm" that broke Vicki's immune system, the absolute absurdity of being a therapist who is "allergic to stress," and why a healthy spinach salad is basically poison when your internal "fire alarm" won't stop going off. Follow Sickboy:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcast Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcast Discord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What happens when your paragliding wing folds in half 165 feet in the air, sending you on an 11-story plunge directly onto your ass? (Spoiler: You wake up and start a career in musical theater.) Most people’s worst nightmare involves falling out of the sky. For CJ, that nightmare became a violent reality. On a "big air" day in Pemberton, BC, CJ’s paragliding shute collapsed, and he fell 165 feet shattering nearly his entire lower spine, blowing out his sternum, and becoming a walking paraplegic. In this raw and hilarious conversation, CJ breaks down the "snowflake" of unique injuries that come with spinal cord damage. From the itchy feet you can’t reach to the Costco-sized quantities of lube and the absolute horror of a Senna overdose. But CJ didn’t grieve the "old CJ." Instead, he leaned into the discomfort, started saying "yes" to everything, and pivoted from managing risk to playing Rumpelstiltskin. This is a masterclass in radical gratitude, and the absurdity of the human body! Check out CJ's TV project here: https://socializedmedicine.tv  You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube. And don't forget to follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

What happens when your body is slowly losing its ability to breathe, but your brain is busy building the future of technology? This week, the fellas (and a very helpful Brock) sit down with Chouaieb (Cho), an AI Black Belt at Google who is quite literally using technology as a personal savior. Cho lives with Ulrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy (UCMD), a rare condition that has left his diaphragm functioning at just 16% capacity. For Cho, the "AI revolution" isn't about deepfakes or taking jobs - it's about cloning his own voice so he can keep telling stories to his three kids after his inevitable tracheostomy. We dive into the raw logistics of "engineering a life": from why he has to basically dehydrate himself just to sit through a podcast, to the nightmare of calling 50 hotels just to find one with a bed that fits a medical lift. It’s a conversation about "Career Pivots," the BS "Saint or Pity" binary society forces on disabled people, and why Cho identifies more as an entrepreneur than a patient. Connect with Cho: LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/nemri Instagram: @choe_nemri Mentorship & Advocacy: FREE Mentorship (Disabled in Tech): https://cal.com/nemri/disability Professional Paid Mentorship: https://mentorcruise.com/mentor/chouaiebnemri/ Cho’s Accessibility Projects: * Airbnb Accessibility Analyzer: https://github.com/cnemri/airaccess * WheelAir: A repository of airline wheelchair policies: https://wheelair.netlify.app/ You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0EVgIbBQOxtKJ4qjAlfeutzZRfCGV8nb Follow Sickboy:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcast Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcast Discord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What do you do when your own tongue starts "shedding" like a snake and your doctor tells you to just "eat a banana"? Imagine waking up and seeing the world through 90s TV static, while your muscles literally stretch and tear like gum when you yawn. Làyla joins the boys to break down the reality of living with Refractory Myasthenia Gravis (MG), a version of the illness so stubborn it requires constant infusions just to keep her stable. From the terrifying moment she realized her jaw was atrophying, to the bizarre neurological world of Visual Snow Syndrome, Làyla shares it all with a level of humor and confidence that is honestly infectious. You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0EVgIbBQOxtKJ4qjAlfeutzZRfCGV8nb Follow Sickboy:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcast Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcast Discord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

What happens when your abdomen decides it's tired of the basement and wants to move into the penthouse suite? This week, we sit down with Jude, who was born with a rare birth defect called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). In plain English: they had a hole in their diaphragm (the dinner-plate-sized muscle that keeps your "upstairs" and "downstairs" separate) and their organs decided to throw a housewarming party in their chest cavity. We're talking a spleen, liver, and bowels all fighting for real estate where their lungs were supposed to grow. Jude is living proof that even if you start life with your organs in the wrong room, you can still build a hell of a house. Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

What happens when a "Professional Knower" gets hit with a disease that has absolutely zero f*cking answers? Broadcasting legend and former CBC host Gill Deacon spent her life demanding answers for the public, but in 2022, her own body became the ultimate mystery. From her heart feeling like a "motorized toy" to wearing a wool toque 24/7 just to feel a semblance of warmth, Gill takes us through the 20-month wilderness of Long COVID. In this episode, we dig into the "stew of symptoms" that forced a high-functioning pro into bed rest and the radical neuroplasticity workshop that eventually helped her "climb out" and reclaim her life.  Gill’s new book, A Love Affair with the Unknown, is available now. Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord!

Imagine being 21 years old, trapped in a two-week coma, completely unable to move or speak, while your sister leans over your bed and confesses her deepest darkest secret to you, and you hear the whole thing. This week, we sit down with Melanie, who at 21 years old, went from a "parking lot" migraine on the 401 to a life-saving brain surgery that left her in a two-week coma . But Melanie wasn't just "asleep"—she describes a vivid, "locked-in" experience where she heard every secret her friends whispered and saw her aunt’s birthday wishes in brushstrokes of pink and purple. Melanie shares her "heritage moment" journey of proving every ableist professor wrong by becoming the first legally blind person to graduate from teachers' college in Ontario, despite the system betting she wouldn't make it to Christmas. Melanie’s story is a masterclass in why you should never tell a "determined" woman what she can’t do. Check out the incredible work Melanie does: https://connect4life.ca/ Follow Sickboy:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sickboypodcast Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@sickboypodcast Discord: https://discord.gg/expeUDN

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 sleep to the terrifying moment her larynx was 70% blocked while on a "restorative" trip to Greece, Marisa’s story is a raw look at identity, ego death, and the absolute chaos of a body in revolt. We dive into the controversial intersection of vaccine injury and infection, the skepticism Black women face in the U.S. healthcare system, and the three questions that forced her to reframe her life as "currently disabled". For all things Marisa - https://www.marisareneelee.com/about You can watch this entire episode over on YouTube. Follow Sickboy on Instagram, TikTok and Discord.