‘Mamba Mentality’: A Legacy Beyond Basketball
Anyone who knows me knows that sports are my favorite thing in the world. Although football is my most beloved sport, basketball has a more personal element to it. For starters, you can…
Refined By Fire — Ryan Berhar
Ryan is a simple man from Bend, Oregon. While he aspires to one day become a sit-down comedian, he has turned most of his attention to writing. He loves sharing his life experiences with people and bringing awareness to his disease. His two favorite things are sports and coffee.
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I Have Complicated Feelings About Rare Disease Day
With Rare Disease Day coming up on Feb. 29, one question in particular has been circling the SMA community: “What makes you rare?” Anyone affected by a rare disease is entitled to their…
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Baby Steps: Breaking Free from Analysis Paralysis
2018 was my best year in a long time. I acquired a JACO robotic arm, got more work, and made a little more money. This January also saw a couple positive developments: I spoke…
Prepared for the Worst: How I Navigated an Outdoor Wedding
With the annual Cure SMA Conference having recently wrapped up, the topic of travel has once again leaped to the forefront of discussion in the SMA community. The conference was on the West…
A Wheelchair Malfunction Reminded Me How Fragile My Reality Is
As someone living with SMA, I rely on various machines and medical equipment to function and stay alive. While I’ve never been blind to this, I often take my situation for granted. Occasionally, however,…
Good Can Come from Things That Are Intrinsically Bad
Everyone with SMA has their own view of life with the condition, and for that matter, of life itself. However, after talking with some contributors to the SMA News Today Forums, it has…
Processing My Two Best Friends’ Engagements
I’ve dedicated columns to my two best friends Darren and Sam before. They’ve been pillars in my life for as long as I can remember. While I’m a few years older than…
Looking for Silver Linings in SMA
SMA is obviously a chiefly negative condition. I don’t think that requires any explanation. However, living with this disease also has a few silver linings, which I’m always looking out for. It’s…
Striving for Contentment Amid Monotony
New life experiences are welcomed when you’re a columnist. I’ve already written about notable stories from my past, and I generally don’t enjoy sharing my two cents on current events. I don’t…
My Bout with Pneumonia Brings Back Ugly Memories
My nearly three-year streak of good health came to a screeching halt at the beginning of March. I guess you could say March Madness came a little early for me. I came…
I’m Glad I’m Not SAD, but Other Setbacks Remain
For a couple weeks, I’ve been in a malaise and I couldn’t pinpoint the source of it. Of course, the occasional bad day will happen, but this was prolonged. Reading various…
Advice from My Best Friend
Last in a series. Read parts one, two, and three. To wrap up this series of conversations with people close to me, I interviewed my best friend, Sam DeVos.
