I’ve been deciding whether or not to make this post. I wasn’t sure if there was a good point to it, or if anyone would really even care. In the end I decided to write it, I mean it can’t hurt. So if you don’t care much about personal stories then this post isn’t for you.
Exactly a year ago to this day, my mother passed away due to stage 4 cancer. This wasn’t the first time experiencing death in my close family. At that time I was only 17. I was homeschooled my whole life, by my mother, which means that I spent most of my time as a kid with her. She taught me everything I knew. I also didn’t really have many friends as a child, so while my older siblings were with their friends or doing something else I would stay at my house and my mother always played my favorite board games with me to keep me company, and to give me a friend.
One night, I was saying goodnight to her as she lay on her couch. I kissed her on her forhead, and I knew at that time that this was the last chance I had to say goodbye. The very next morning I woke up to a knock on my door. It was my dad, he opened the door with tears in his eyes and said the words “she didn’t make it through the night.” After that, my life felt like it was going downhill. I started trying to get more and more friends, but I still felt like I was alone. I felt like I just lost everything important in my life.
I knew I needed a hobby or something I could do in my spare time to keep my mind off things. I tried some stuff such as building quadcopters, RC cars, and such of that sort. I saw someone riding an electric skateboard one day and started thinking, “I wonder if I could build one of those.” I started researching and got lost reading forums, talking to people and making posts. I spent countless hours researching what I want to put in my board.
To my surprise, the time I spent helped me significantly. I never had any spare time. I would get home from school/work and keep working on my board. I would stay up till past midnight until I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. What really helped the most was the amazing people who would spend their time messaging me and helping me. There are a lot of great people on this forum, but the one person I would like to point out would be @Skunk he reached out to me and without him, I wouldn’t have a board right now.
So I would like to say thank you. To everyone on this forum. Either for reaching out to me and helping me, or just making posts that I can read to keep me busy. I know for sure that without ESK8 or this forum. I would not be the same person I am today. You guys have really helped me. I hope that I can contribute to other people as much as you guys have contributed to me.
My mom passed from stage IV colon cancer in 2011. I was 13 then. Life hasn’t ever felt normal. Fuck cancer. My condolences friend.
I feel you dude. The way you describe it sounds like we have similar stories. Some people come for memes, some to flex their brain, others just to hang out but this community has helped me in more ways than just building an eskate and y’all don’t even know it.
Thank you for putting this out there. The whole building research process doesn’t leave much idle time and I can find the skating aspect a meditative experience.
Glad you found some comfort among the community and the hobby.
Esk8 has successfully kept my wallet drained and exhausted all year, along with many late nights and tired mornings, it has consumed all of my free time and in many cases taken away from time I would otherwise spend with my family
But seriously, it has kept me busy since we lost our baby daughter due to negligence by the very doctors and nurses that we trusted to deliver her safely. For me, esk8 is an escape from real life, I enjoy building and riding and most of all learning along the way.
I love this post. Thanks so much for sharing it. It’s a great reminder to give each other whatever help we can and treat each other with respect, because we don’t know what some of us might be going through. And props to @skunk for doing the forum proud.
So much pain reading your experiences, and coming back from the past few weeks of stress and fear for my father (we got so lucky and you guys are so supportive ), I kinda feel you there.
Ive realized that my life most likely won’t ever be the same. Although when I’m building, riding, or talking to people here. It keeps me distracted from everything
), I kinda feel you there.