"My Doctors Said I'd Die at 19. I'm 32 & Fighting Back." | Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Sickboy
CBC
4.8 • 524 Ratings
🗓️ 21 October 2025
⏱️ 48 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
"Society says it's better dead than disabled." This week, we sit down with Ryan Yellowlees , a counselor and activist who is living—and thriving—with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, decades past his initial prognosis. Ryan gets real about the progression of his condition , the systemic ableism he fights against , and why he's fiercely campaigning against the expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD), calling it modern-day eugenics. He shares his unique perspective on finding strength and purpose in disability and why, given the choice, he'd live this life all over again.
Find Ryan: https://www.lifeempoweredcounselling.ca
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | It's becoming pretty clear that U.S. President Donald Trump is ripping up the political |
| 0:05.3 | playbook. |
| 0:05.8 | And when it comes to what it all means for Canada, well, as they say, it's complicated. |
| 0:09.8 | But our podcast, two blocks from the White House, is a way to make sense of it all. |
| 0:13.8 | Join me, Willie Lowry, and senior Washington correspondents, Paul Hunter and Katie Simpson |
| 0:18.6 | every week as we break down the headlines from Capitol Hill |
| 0:22.1 | with a Canadian spin. Find and follow two blocks from the White House on your favorite podcast |
| 0:27.3 | app, including YouTube. This is a CBC podcast. |
| 0:39.8 | Hello everybody. |
| 0:41.2 | Jeremy here. |
| 0:43.5 | Welcome back to another episode of Sick Boy. |
| 0:54.2 | And this week, we are talking to our new friend Ryan Yellowlees, who is a counselor and activist who lives with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. |
| 0:58.7 | Now, doctors told Ryan that he wouldn't live past 19. |
| 1:00.8 | Spoiler alert. |
| 1:02.6 | He's much older than that. |
| 1:03.6 | He's actually 32. And he's fighting like hell against ableism in today's society. |
| 1:09.4 | Me and the guys sit down with Ryan. |
| 1:11.3 | We get real about his journey. |
| 1:13.1 | Why he calls the expansion of made eugenics. |
| 1:17.0 | Have you heard that before on the show? |
| 1:18.9 | I think you have. |
| 1:20.3 | And how he finds strength and purpose within his disability. |
... |
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