Refined By Fire – a Column by Ryan Berhar

Rare Disease Day

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.

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 opinion. Likewise, everyone is uniquely qualified to comment on the concept of rarity. However, I struggle…

‘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 see the players more clearly, as they’re not covered with armor like in football. It’s also…

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 at church and began “Ryan’s Robotics” for the SMA News Today YouTube channel. Things seemed…

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 them, we more or less grew up together. However, they’ve now both reached the milestone of…

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 immensely helpful to keep a positive mindset and cling to the things I actually have going…

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 want to beat a dead horse, or perhaps more accurately, beat Dr. Phil with a reusable…

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 down with a nasty virus that quickly turned into pneumonia. While I had pneumonia on roughly…