Gabriel Badejo has broken bones and been in car accidents, but he says none of it comes close to the pain of a sickle cell crisis. The filmmaker joins Jeremie, Brian and Taylor to unpack a lifetime with a disease that can make even describing the pain feel impossible. He opens up about medical racism, including a near-fatal crisis where he says he was treated as though he was seeking drugs rather than desperately needing help. The conversation follows Gabriel’s experience with a stem cell transplant that transformed his health and his decision to document that journey in the CBC documentary 'The Sickling', determined that others should have access to the same opportunity. Along the way, Jeremie finds striking parallels with his own experience of chronic illness, while Gabriel shares why finding joy was never something he was willing to put off until he got better. When tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, there’s a pretty compelling argument for spending today laughing.
Continue Gabriel’s story beyond the podcast: watch his documentary, The Sickling, on CBC Gem: https://gem.cbc.ca/the-sickling
