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Third in a series. Read parts one and two. In the following interview, I’ll explore how SMA impacts the way people perceive me, as well as share valuable advice for families with a loved one newly diagnosed with SMA. I interview my friend, Jakeb Klein, whose…

It was time to take down the Christmas decorations. Every room was filled with boxes and coffee tables were covered with trinkets. We were working in the living room, which houses a large bookcase. We keep family photo albums, books, and special pictures in the bookshelf.

Even before its theatrical release, the new film “The Upside” garnered its fair share of criticism from a number of disability activists on social media. Its main controversy stems from the fact that it’s yet another example of an able-bodied actor playing a…

A few weeks ago, a friend told me I had to see “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” It was everything I loved, with amazing graphics, she said, so I couldn’t just rent it when it releases on DVD. I had to see it in theaters.

“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…

Second in a series. Read part one.  This week, I sought advice from my aunt, Heidi McLaughlin, because she is a thoughtful, wise person. Like me, she is a writer. RB: If I didn’t have SMA and you could only give me one piece of advice about…

It takes a family to navigate SMA. All five of us play a role in helping the household run smoothly. Mostly, however, the final responsibility lies with the parents. Ava and Henry are 11 and 9, respectively. Ella is 8. When one of them…

Across social media platforms right now, there’s a trend where people post pictures of themselves from 10 years ago next to current ones. The idea is to see how much people have changed over a decade and to laugh at embarrassing old images. It’s been entertaining,…

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I don’t think I could live in the middle of nowhere. My parents want nothing more than to raise a few goats in rural Wisconsin, where they recently bought their “forever home,” a small farmhouse with decent acreage. I, however, would…

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…