Diagnosed at 5 months of age, Alyssa has set out to raise awareness about life with SMA Type I through writing. By getting personal and being open about her trials and triumphs, she wants the world to know that SMA can put up a good fight, but we can always fight back exceedingly harder. Aside from writing, Alyssa is the community director for an adaptive fashion brand and has founded her own nonprofit called Working On Walking. In her free time, she enjoys discovering new coffee shops within a 50-mile radius of her hometown in Rhode Island.Allow me to begin this column by traveling back in time to the days of middle school mathematics. Now, my memory may not serve me as well as it did during my school days (I’ll blame it on “old” age), but I do particularly remember sitting in class…
I always struggle with mental health at this time of year. Winter has that effect on me. Each year, I tell myself things will be different, so I map out a game plan for avoiding falling into my yearly rut. Podcasts are queued, books patiently wait to be…
Recently, one of our columnists, Kevin Schaefer, took to the SMA forums to discuss his experiences with hiring new caregivers. His portrayal of what these experiences entail certainly resonated with me, especially during this particular season in my life when I also am beginning to hire new…
Without coming across like a total diva, I have to ask the Universe a simple question: Is it too much for a girl to get a personal assistant around here? And I’m not just referring to hiring caretakers — we all know that’s a huge feat by itself.
“Are you comfortable, Alyssa?” my surgeon asked while gently leaning over me as I lay on my left side. My quick-witted response assured her there was nothing comforting about a needle in my spine. But with clenched fists and deep breaths, I was managing. After all, I had…
Hello. My name is Alyssa Silva, and on Jan. 7, I failed my vertigo test. Again. For the sixth or seventh time. Here’s a little useless fact about me: I’m a terrible test taker. In college, my final grades were saved by papers and projects because I always…
Last week, I explained why I’m ditching the “new year, new you” mantra. Today, I’m keeping the conversation going by discussing my alternative to New Year’s resolutions. I’ve never been the type of person to set resolutions, and that’s for one simple reason: Life with SMA can…
Since we’re in the season of embracing a new year and all the possibilities that come along with it, I thought it would be a great time to bring this up. For quite some time, I’ve grappled with the idea of “new year, new you,” wondering if it…
The final countdown is on, my friends. It won’t be long before Discovery Channel airs an hour-long special about the girl in the wheelchair who emerges into her dark, isolated den to prepare for a long winter’s nap. Wait, no. That’s a special on bears. But if Discovery…
While catching up with a friend recently, I stumbled upon the next topic for this column. It was simple, really. There was no aha moment or life-changing revelation in the conversations we had, but something stuck with me that day. To many, the significance of the conversation could…
