Sherry Toh,  —

Sherry “Elisa” Toh (she/they) is a journalist who lives in sunny Singapore. Her diagnosis of SMA type II was in 1999 at 13 months old. Kyphoscoliosis and chronic neuropathy later developed as complications. As a hopeless romantic, her loves include fairy tales, tea, and gaming — the last being the primary focus of her work. She has bylines in PCGamesN, NME, and more. In 2023, her essay “Virtual Progress: A Disabled Journalist’s Thoughts on the Video Games Industry” was published in Singapore’s first printed disability studies anthology, “Not Without Us: Perspective on Disabilities and Inclusion in Singapore.” She writes in hopes of offering community and catharsis. Find her @sherlisass on social media.

Articles by Sherry Toh

How my life moved forward across a rich and eventful 2023

Secretly, I usually dread this time of year. To borrow from singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, December is, to me, a “problem child.” It’s not easy to exist inside of this contradictory month, a time of both celebration and solemnity, of looking backward and forward. My birthday and…

Marveling at my first experience at the Singapore Writers Festival

If you asked me to describe the metaphorical status of games journalism this year, I’d say we’ve descended into carnage. Is that melodramatic? Perhaps. But journalism is a competitive field. When it’s subject to publications and departments closing, mass layoffs, and budget cuts, as it was this year, journalists struggle…

In life with SMA, I’m changing hustles like the seasons

One thing I’ve learned from not going through Singapore’s formal education system is this: When it’s time to be a working adult, to earn your keep, it’s incredibly hard to persuade someone to hire you if you have a blank résumé. Everyone has to start somewhere to gain employment,…

Saying goodbye to my great-uncle Richard, an ‘Old Hero’

Content warning: This column deals with the topics of death and suicidal ideation.  “The first dead body you see should not be someone you love,” advises funeral director Poppy Mardall in journalist Hayley Campbell’s 2022 book “All the Living and the Dead.” Campbell’s book provides remarkable insight into…

How SMA helps me understand my bisexuality, and vice versa

“People think bisexuals stereotypically can’t decide on which gender we want to have sex with, when the truth is, we can’t decide on anything,” someone in a group chat once joked. I laughed far longer than perhaps was appropriate, nodding along at the truth of the statement, at least in…

Why we should listen to SMA patients about Evrysdi

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Evrysdi (risdiplam). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. “The drug likely won’t be effective on you. You’re in your 20s, and you’ve deteriorated to the point where you…

A tribute to my SMA sister and hero, Brianna Albers

For the past two years, my best friend and fellow columnist, Brianna Albers, and I held a tradition of collaborating with each other for SMA Awareness Month. We’ve written companion columns about the pros and cons of our respective countries (she lives in the U.S., while I’m…