31 Days of SMA: Her Condition Brought Us Closer

Logan Mundy and Arya Singh

Day 22 of 31

This is Arya Singh and Logan Mundy’s story, as told by Logan:

I was nervous for my first date with Arya. At the time, I had not even heard of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and knew nothing about disability or accessibility. I didn’t think to look up if the park or restaurant we went to were accessible, and I had no idea how she would commute to see me. I didn’t get much right on my first try, but after my first amazing date with her, I was committed to building a relationship and to making things as comfortable as possible.

I had never thought twice about driving her in my car or transferring her in and out of her wheelchair. It seemed like a small extra step to a very normal process for me. It took me a long time to realize what should have been obvious: These were deeply personal acts, and Arya placed an immense amount of trust in me within a very short period. She needed to trust that I wouldn’t drop her, that I wouldn’t mistreat her, and that I would keep her safe.

I worked hard to earn this trust and to make the transition as a caregiver less awkward. We began sharing a lot of “potty humor” to help make using the restroom together easier. Our routine and our relationship together may seem uncommon or bizarre to someone else, but I wouldn’t want it any other way; it was for all these things that I grew to love and appreciate Arya on an even deeper level than I could have ever imagined.

We commuted long distance to visit each other at our respective schools or homes and tried to find every available minute in our week to be together. In that time, we have found many ways to do many “normal” couples’ activities in our own way, such as going on road trips, cooking dinner, riding on roller coasters, driving an ATV, or cruising on paddleboats.

We were fortunate enough to be able to spend our summer together in Washington, D.C., where we learned what it would be like to live with each other full time. To our delight, we found that we make an incredible team and have loved every second living together. We can’t wait to see what our future holds!

SMA News Today’s 31 Days of SMA campaign will publish one story per day for SMA Awareness Month in August. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more stories like this, using the hashtag #31DaysofSMA, or read the full series.