When he was in his early twenties, Mason Earle was living the dream. After dropping out of college so he could climb full-time, he signed a sponsorship deal with a major outdoor brand and began taking climbing trips all around the world. But then, as he approached his 30th birthday, he was on a trip to Yosemite when he began experiencing flu-like symptoms that wouldn't go away. He would later be diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis, commonly called chronic fatigue syndrome. In this powerful episode from our friends at the Death, Sex & Money podcast, Mason speaks with host Anna Sale about going from being an elite athlete to spending most of his waking hours in bed, the pleasure he now finds in the littlest things, and why he actually doesn’t miss climbing.

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