Columns

I previously wrote a column about body modifications and how my favorite kind is tattoos. When I think about it, I’ve been in to get tattooed every year since graduating high school. Well, every year except for this one — so far. There’s still time. On…

For our summer vacation, my family and I decided to take a trip to Ontario, Canada, to see Niagara Falls. Most of us had never been, and I had never traveled out of the United States. We walked by the falls, took a trip to the top of the…

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 Coast this year, close enough for me to drive to. I attended the 2016 conference, also…

Like most families broadsided with an unexpected, rare diagnosis, my husband and I had never heard of the one attached to Jeffrey, our third baby. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) was completely foreign to us, so it came as another shock to learn that SMA was the leading…

Ella turned 9 years old in June. We have noticed lately that she is gaining too much weight. We’ve had Ella on the amino acid (AA) diet since she was 20 months old. Over the years, we’ve made many adjustments to the diet in terms of ingredients, volumes,…

We see a lot of articles addressing SMA and dating, or dating when an individual is in a wheelchair.  I’ve had little to no experience in dating. I had a boyfriend when I was in middle school, but that was more of a “Well, everyone…

“So, do you sleep in your wheelchair?” Believe it or not, I have been asked this question more than a few times. Granted, I don’t recall hearing it after I finished middle school; but even then, the fact that any kid thought this was the case…

As I write this column, only 11 days are left before my nonprofit organization hosts its 10th annual gala for spinal muscular atrophy. Eleven. And while 11 has always been my lucky number, as I glance at my to-do list I’m reminded there really isn’t anything lucky about it…

Ella had a fun-filled week. Her cousin and aunt came in from Virginia to spend some summer time with the Castens. Her other two cousins, who live in Chicago, also spent time with the family. Family outings can sometimes be a challenge. We have to make…

We’ve finally had some decent weather. It has been rainy lately, which I thoroughly enjoy because I’m allergic (literally, not figuratively) to the burning orb in the sky that is the sun — both my skin and eyes react. But construction doesn’t happen when it’s raining, which…