(Paper Back) A Body That Charges Interest

She asked if she could sit down. She was told to wait. Minutes later, eight-year-old Madeleine collapsed in the mud while her class watched.

It would be eleven years before anyone named what was wrong.

In A Body That Charges Interest, Madeleine Welsh shares her experience of living with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome—POTS—and the consequences of spending years pushing through symptoms she did not understand.

From childhood classrooms and competitive soccer to personal training, powerlifting, relationships, and the struggle to earn a living, Madeleine explores how invisible illness shaped the life she was determined to build. Every attempt to borrow energy from tomorrow came with a cost.

This memoir speaks honestly about lost opportunities, the fear of needing support, and the slow process of learning that personal worth does not depend on productivity. Alongside the grief and uncertainty are moments of connection, hope, and finding ways to pursue the things that still matter.

Written for people living with invisible illness and those who want to understand them, A Body That Charges Interest gives a personal account of the effort other people rarely see.

You should not have to collapse to deserve a chair.