Columns

A Question that Surprised Me

Having SMA means that strangers approach me on a regular basis. From the onlooker who’s infatuated with my service dog, to the 10,000th person who sees my wheelchair and asks me if I “have a license for that thing,” I’m quite used to comments from people that range…

Living on Borrowed Time

I officially graduated with my bachelor’s degree in December, but I only just received my diploma in the mail. I’ve been expecting it for weeks now, but it was still kind of surreal, opening the manila envelope and seeing my name in fancy script,…

Childhood Essays and Wishes that Become Reality

For the Silva family, cleaning out the basement in recent weeks has become a trip down memory lane. Pictures strewn in boxes tell stories of my childhood and how my parents did everything in their power to give me a “normal” childhood. Old textbooks remind of all the…

Trading the Flu for Cabin Fever

As someone with SMA, I always have to be more cautious of germs than most people. A simple cold can escalate into something more serious, and even become life-threatening. I have always taken what I like to refer to as “reasonable precautions.” I wash my…

An Intro to the ‘Family Perspectives’ Series

SMA affects the entire family. Sometimes it’s obvious, and sometimes it’s not. Either way, each involved individual must navigate the disease, alongside its implications, and figure out a way to cope. Child or adult, male or female, parent or sibling; the…

Recovering from Pneumonia, Getting Back to Work

Alas, after a long couple weeks of constantly spitting phlegm into a cup and spending hours attached to my Vest Airway Clearance System, I’m finally getting over this pneumonia and back to “normal.” Normalcy isn’t exactly something that factors into my life at any point, but I…

Different Bodies, Still Equal

I realized the other day that I am missing a collarbone. It’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. Parts of the body that appear in my writing and reading: collarbone, sternum. I memorized each term for an exam in high school —…

My Appreciation for Sports: It’s a Love Story

I am crazy about football and basketball. I even have a sports blog called The Chairman. Everyone has passions in life, some of which help them escape the hardships of this world. For many people — especially in Oregon, where I live — these are of the outdoor…

She’s 7

Ella sits in her wheelchair crying. Her mom is right there with her holding her hand. I walk into the room and stand looking at the two of them. I figure out they are in a deep conversation as Lindsay waves her hand at me.

Avoiding the Flu, Catching Pneumonia Instead

It’s been a pretty lousy week for me, to say the least. What started as a ridiculously annoying cough in the middle of the first week of February eventually resulted in a trip to the emergency room the following Saturday. “Please don’t say the P-word, please don’t say…