Get ready for Breathless, a transformative podcast series brought to you by Cystic Fibrosis Canada and Snack Labs. Join host Jeremie Saunders as he delves into the beautiful and compelling narratives of those affected by cystic fibrosis (CF), the most prevalent fatal genetic disease in Canada.

Through vivid storytelling and in-depth conversations, Breathless unveils the personal battles, emotional resilience, and groundbreaking scientific achievements within the CF community. This series offers a deep understanding of the disease, highlighting both the struggles and the remarkable spirit of those who live with it.

Follow Breathless and immerse yourself in a journey of hope, courage, and inspiration, narrated through the voices of those at the heart of this challenging disease.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if you knew from an early age that you wouldn't live as long as everyone else? How would it change the way you see money, education, relationships, or time itself? Welcome to Breathless, a series that explores the shifting landscape of Cystic Fibrosis, through the eyes of Jeremie Saunders, who has lived with the disease and the shortened life expectancy it comes with, his entire life.

Breathless is a Snack Labs Production in partnership with Cystic Fibrosis Canada

Host: Jeremie Saunders

Producer: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Editor: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Sound Design: Donovan Morgan

Music: Tom Fox, Donovan Morgan

Artwork/Design: Brian Stever

For more information on Cystic Fibrosis:

https://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/

Want more Snacks for your ears?

https://www.wearesnack.io/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How is it that something happening at an infinitesimally small scale can impact every aspect of your day-to-day life? In episode 2 of Breathless, we'll be leaning on some of the smartest minds in Cystic Fibrosis to uncover exactly what is happening at a molecular level and how that produces life-altering, and life-shortening, consequences. We'll also explore how a new miracle medication is changing Jeremie's life, and unearthing some unexpected challenges as Jeremie realizes that he may live a lot longer than he ever thought possible.

Breathless is a Snack Labs Production in partnership with Cystic Fibrosis Canada

Host: Jeremie Saunders

Producer: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Editor: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Sound Design: Donovan Morgan

Music: Tom Fox, Donovan Morgan

Artwork/Design: Brian Stever

For more information on Cystic Fibrosis:

https://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/

Want more Snacks for your ears?

https://www.wearesnack.io/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When you think you'll die young, you look at relationships with a unique perspective. In this episode of Breathless, we'll take a look at Jeremie's thoughts on dating and marriage. He speaks with others with CF to understand more about the diverse outlooks on intimate relationships when living with a fatal genetic disease.

Breathless is a Snack Labs Production in partnership with Cystic Fibrosis Canada

Host: Jeremie Saunders

Producer: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Editor: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Sound Design: Donovan Morgan

Music: Tom Fox, Donovan Morgan

Artwork/Design: Brian Stever

For more information on Cystic Fibrosis:

https://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/

Want more Snacks for your ears?

https://www.wearesnack.io/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jeremie always knew how he felt about having kids, and then everything changed. In episode 4 of Breathless, we dig into the nuanced considerations of starting a family when you have a life-shortening condition that could be inherited by your children. In the face of Trikafta, Jeremie faces the difficult task of reevaluating a choice he once felt absolutely certain about.

Breathless is a Snack Labs Production in partnership with Cystic Fibrosis Canada

Host: Jeremie Saunders

Producer: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Editor: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Sound Design: Donovan Morgan

Music: Tom Fox, Donovan Morgan

Artwork/Design: Brian Stever

For more information on Cystic Fibrosis:

https://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/

Want more Snacks for your ears?

https://www.wearesnack.io/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Jeremie was young, he was hard on his parents. Now, he understands their perspective, recognizing that they were new parents, doing the best they could do all while grappling with the devastating news that their son likely will not live to see university. In episode 5 of Breathless, we delve into the experiences of parents with children who have Cystic Fibrosis, exploring how they navigate the emotional maze of raising a child they may outlive.

Breathless is a Snack Labs Production in partnership with Cystic Fibrosis Canada

Host: Jeremie Saunders

Producer: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Editor: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Sound Design: Donovan Morgan

Music: Tom Fox, Donovan Morgan

Artwork/Design: Brian Stever

For more information on Cystic Fibrosis:

https://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did we turn a disease that would kill you before your 5th birthday into one that may never kill you at all? Easy: Decades of tireless, constant and relentless advocacy by parents who refuse to accept a horrible fate for their children. In the season finale of Breathless, we hear from two of the most influential people in Cystic Fibrosis history and learn how a refusal to give up in the 1950s led us down a path to revolutionary treatment, and a fight for a cure that continues today.

Breathless is a Snack Labs Production in partnership with Cystic Fibrosis Canada

Host: Jeremie Saunders

Producer: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Editor: Jeremie Saunders, Taylor MacGillivary

Sound Design: Donovan Morgan

Music: Tom Fox, Donovan Morgan

Artwork/Design: Brian Stever

For more information on Cystic Fibrosis:

https://www.cysticfibrosis.ca/

Want more Snacks for your ears?

https://www.wearesnack.io/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Season 2 premiere of Breathless explores a biological and existential revolution. For decades, Cystic Fibrosis was defined by a "physical perimeter"—a list of things that were simply impossible. But with the advent of transformative drugs like Trikafta, those walls are vanishing.

Host Jeremie opens with a visceral comparison between a 2017 spiritual "holotropic breathing" experience and the 2021 pharmaceutical miracle of his first dose of Trikafta. We then hear from elite athletes who shattered expectations long before the "miracle drug" existed, and we look at how Cystic Fibrosis Canada is pivoting its entire mission from "extending life" to supporting a life "without limits."

• Salt Spring Island (2017): Jeremie describes a profound meditative state where, for a moment, the "heavy, wet coat" of CF was stripped away.
• The Blue Pill (2021): The "impossible milestone" found in a blister pack. Jeremie recounts the first morning he woke up without the "wet rattle" in his lungs, realizing his biology had been rewritten.

• The Broken Valve: Dr. Paul Eckford (Chief Scientific Officer, CF Canada) explains the CFTR protein.
• Chloride, Salt, and Water: A breakdown of why CF lungs create "concrete" mucus and how new modulators open the cellular gates to let water flow, clearing the airways.

• The Undiagnosed Athlete: Lisa won 11 Ironman championships despite having CF, including a period where she didn't even know she had the disease.
• The "Superpower": How meeting children with CF gave Lisa a purpose beyond winning, leading to her "lights out" fourth-place finish at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships while battling a chest infection.

• The Two-Year Warning: At 19, Sophie was told she had two years to live. Her response? A bucket list that started with summiting Mount Kilimanjaro with 50% lung function.
• 36 Marathons in 36 Days: Sophie’s journey from a nationally ranked sprinter to an ultra-endurance icon, and her shock at how "easy" running became after Trikafta boosted her lung function to 110%.

• From Pediatric to Geriatric: Kelly Grover (CEO, CF Canada) discusses the challenge of pivoting a non-profit toward supporting adult needs like housing, nutrition, and retirement.
• The Paradox of Progress: Why mental health challenges (anxiety and depression) are intensifying even as physical health improves. Jeremie describes the "existential whiplash" of having to plan for a future he never expected to have.

• "Trikafta didn't just open my airways; it dismantled the perimeter. The walls I spent thirty years banging against have simply… vanished." — Host
• "I am going to be the best sick person on that start line. And what I might lack in lung health, I'm going to make up for in heart." — Lisa Bentley
• "I didn't even realize I was struggling my whole life because I didn't have the opportunity to actually feel what it's like to actually breathe properly." — Sophie Grace Holmes
• "I might have a bit of a freakout if all of a sudden the world was my oyster with no restrictions on it." — Kelly Grover

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.