Our prayers have recently been answered with the arrival of a new weekend night nurse, and it feels like the wheels of progress are finally turning on my journey with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), hopefully in a big way. The nurse couldn’t have come at a better — or…
Discussion
Babies born in maternity wards across the West Midlands, in England, are now being tested for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) as part of a new National Health Service (NHS) initiative launched on Oct. 1. The regional rollout marks the first phase of a broader effort to expand newborn screening…
Discussion
One of my favorite tees to wear is navy blue and says, “INSTALLING MUSCLES. PLEASE WAIT …” Underneath the text is a bright red loading bar about halfway done. It was a gift from my mother, a token of her hope that I’d one day grow stronger instead of weaker.
Discussion
John Muir once wrote, “The mountains are calling, and I must go.” Every once in a while, that quote resonates in my heart. I am a Carolina girl who grew up in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, along the rim of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and I somehow…
Discussion
Activating a molecular recycling process called autophagy can improve motor function and extend lifespan in a nematode worm model of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a new study reports. “We provide the first evidence that pharmacological activation of autophagy enhanced neuromuscular performance in the severe C. elegans SMA model,” researchers…
Discussion
For many people living with rare neuromuscular diseases, the most meaningful part of a recent Chicago gathering was not just the medical updates — it was finding a community that understood their daily struggles. The realization that they were not alone set the tone for MDA Engage: Chicago, a…
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