Sickboy

Tanya is your friendly neighbourhood family doc, or at least she was. She's been on leave for a good chunk of time because she's nasty boo boo in her blood. Leukaemia to be specific. This week we learn how cancer doesn't discriminate - doctors get it too! How being a doc can prepare you, in a way, for whats to come with cancer treatment. And we also find out that Brian really needs to deal with that twin brother health card identity fraud ordeal.

It might sound like a Lord Of The Rings character... however Tetralogy of Fallot is actually a combination of four congenital abnormalities in the heart. Sophie literally started from the bottom, now she here. And by bottom, we mean she was born in literally the worst rated hospital in her home country. A wild journey has brought her to where she is today! An exceptional young women with a funny foreign accent ;)

To follow Sophie's story check out her blog:

http://Achdandme.blogspot.com

Mylene is like a real life stretch armstrong! Although this may sound like a super power, it most certainly is not. Loose joints may help with flexibility but this is just a small part of life with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. From chronic pain, to insomnia, to jacked up adrenalin levels, the fellas and Mylene dive in deep into life with EDS!

Meet Laura! A part time mad food scientist, story telling, should be rapper living in New York. She lives with a rare genetic skin disorder called genetic skin disorder. Sure her skin is flakey and dry but it goes SO much deeper than just that. Horribly painful, constantly sloughing off, hours upon hours of daily maintenance. This week Laura leads the fellas through the meaning of Spoon Theory, stories of a painful childhood into adulthood, the difference between pain tolerance and threshold and much much more.

Alexis was born missing a large portion of her left arm. This didn't stop her from following her dreams of having her own successful YouTube cooking show. Nor did it stop her from doing anything she damn well pleases! Live from SAIT the fellas and Alexis have a giggle filled conversation about disability, naming your limbs, the benefit of having a stump for a kitchen tool, sex, stump biting and more.

Sh*t happens. And so does menopause! This week the fellas tap back into their female anatomy knowledge with the help of Shirley Weir, the founder of the online community Menopause Chicks. Her goal? Empowering women to navigate perimenopause and menopause with confidence and ease! Did you know that menopause isn’t just for old ladies? Did you know that the ovaries are different than the eggs? Of course you do. You’re not some dodo like Jer-Bear.

How does one live while born with huge hole in their infant heart? When your heart fails how do you survive?! Medical advancements have come a long ass way! The fellas sit down this week with Callie, a west coast gal who has had countless surgeries to fix a broken heart. Not through love loss, just through a congenital heart defect.

Unlike Bob Marley, Oliver went through with removing a hunk of one of his cancer ridden digits. Unfortunately that didn't stop the cancer. From fingernail, to lymph and beyond Oliver has the ""Bad"" skin cancer. Was it from a mole? Too much sun? Well, chances are it was hereditary. Oliver is a well spoken dude who continuously drops knowledge on the fellas in this weeks episode.

""This is going to get really intimate, really fast."" This week we are talking about the vagina! Specifically a painful vagina. Michelle has spent her whole life experiencing an extremely sensitive and painful vulva. From excruciating ""Q-tip tests"", to discomfort from tampons, to the near impossibility of sex, it's been a rough road to recovery. The good news is, PVD can be treated! And spoiler alert - this episode has a happy ending.

What is it like to have a 4 year old living with complex medical issues? Tough as sh*t. But Kaiti is a BAMF Mother! Her beautiful little daughter Layla was once considered a ""Floppy baby"". She is unable to hold her neck up, sit, stand, walk, talk. After a 2.5 year search between Ontario and BC she was accepted to the Undiagnosed Disease Network at UCLA and were able to finally walk away with a diagnosis. She has PCH2d. It's a progressive, life limiting diagnosis. Parenting a first born is never easy. But nothing can prepare someone for parenting a first born who may die before their 5th birthday.