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