Alyssa Silva,  —

Alyssa Silva is a writer based out of Providence, Rhode Island. She was diagnosed with SMA type 1 in 1991 when she was just 5 months old. Aside from writing, Alyssa is the chief creative officer for an intimates brand and runs a small business selling her artwork. In her free time, you can find her canceling plans to hang out with her golden retrievers, watching reruns of "The Office," and convincing others why Taylor Swift is the greatest of all time.

Articles by Alyssa Silva

My Unsolved Symptoms Add Flair to My Rare

These days, I’ve been soaking up all the true crime content I can set my eyes and ears on. Documentaries, podcasts, “Dateline” episodes that I now look forward to every Friday night — I’ve become engrossed in real-life stories about missing persons and murders. More specifically, I have become hooked…

What Being Homebound for a Year Really Feels Like

The day after Christmas marked one year since I began this whole self-quarantine thing. And the most unnerving part about it is that I have yet to receive my trophy to commemorate this milestone. That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but there is logic behind my reasoning. After…

Stepping Into a New Me in the Year Ahead

In the midst of decking the halls and savoring all that’s merry and bright, December also serves as a season of reflection for me. It’s my chance to look back on the last year and take inventory of all the things I experienced and learned, determine…

Starting a Small Business With SMA

In October, I fulfilled a childhood dream of mine by finally opening an online art shop. For years, friends and family encouraged me to do this. While I’m no Rembrandt, I have always enjoyed expressing my creativity in the form of drawings. Art is my favorite…

Life With SMA Can Feel Like an Anomaly

Recently, my little hometown in New England experienced one of Mother Nature’s many shenanigans: a decent-sized snowstorm in October, or “Snowtober.” This isn’t the type of climate we are conditioned to around here. Nevertheless, it was quite the sight to see a blanket of 6 inches of snow with trees…

Learning to Celebrate Life in New Ways

I’m still trying to wrap my head around this one: I will be turning 30 at the end of the month. To keep my columns professional, I used a period for that previous sentence. But please know there were many exclamation points swirling around my brain. This milestone birthday is…

Small Joys Are Bigger Than They Appear

“So, what’s your silver lining?” a friend asked me one night in late spring. My parents and I had recently decided to go forth and allow outdoor visits again, as long as our guests followed social distancing and mask-wearing rules. He was the first visitor I had in months. I…

What Home Schooling Was Like for Me

I was a sophomore in high school when my parents and I agreed to home-school me during the winter months. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a necessary one nevertheless. In January of that year, I had been hospitalized with double pneumonia for the first time…