At seventeen, I fell in love with roller skating—late-night practice sessions, flips, spins, even skating backwards at full speed. Decades later, with sarcoidosis, heart failure, and a novelist’s body instead of an athlete’s, I found myself wondering: could I still lace up those skates, or are some passions meant to stay in the past? This is a story about youth, health, nostalgia, and learning to admire others while letting yourself off the hook.
Roller Skating, Chronic Illness, and Letting Go of My Nineteen-Year-Old Calves
Tate Basildon 