Why I Love Listening to the 'Sickboy' Podcast as Someone With Chronic Illness

I have a new obsession. It finds its way into my conversations almost on a daily basis so I’m surprised it has taken me so long to share it here.

I love podcasts in general and I’m always thrilled when I discover one that is new to me but has a nice backlog of episode I can binge. This August I found another and it feels like every free minute I’ve got my earbuds in I am listening to Sickboy.

I first read an interview with Jeremie Saunders, the titular Sickboy, in a magazine and he sounded like my kind of guy. He has cystic fibrosis and is about 30 years old. He and two of his friends, Taylor and Brian, get together each week and chat with someone living with an illness or disease. It’s fascinating and hilarious.

Their aim is to reduce the stigma and awkwardness that is inherent in most conversations about illness. They try to approach each situation with levity and honesty. What results is a podcast that is sometimes cringeworthy in its irreverent humor and crude language but at the same time is refreshingly real. It feels like a late night, completely unfiltered talk with old friends where we let loose and speak freely, ranting, joking and questioning the deep truths of life.

It’s entirely my jam. They cover the daily issues of living in a broken body but they also go deeper. They talk about death and living with purpose, the afterlife, the right to die, medical intervention and the lines we blur and cross routinely in our modern societies. They don’t shy away from anything and I love them for it. These are the thoughts in my head and the conversations I crave.

I’ve been recommending the podcast to all sorts of friends but always with the disclaimer that there’s lots of swearing and dick jokes. Obviously I’m fine with that and if you are too then I’d encourage you to check them out.

Follow this journey on 8 to 10 Jelly Beans.

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Lead photo courtesy of Sickboy Podcast Facebook page