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…
Columns
Free Advice Worth Paying For
I go to my family and friends for advice before anyone else. They’ve always given me tremendous input, but how is that affected by SMA, if at all? In the following interview, the first in a series, I’ll explore how SMA impacts the way people perceive me, as well as…
Technology is a wonderful thing. It’s something that is a part of all of our lives and can have tremendous benefits. Ella has her own iPad and spends time playing games, looking up videos of things she enjoys learning about, and texting us…
“Well, I certainly hope this little incident hasn’t put you off flying, miss,” says Christopher Reeve in the 1978 “Superman” film. “Statistically speaking, of course, it’s still the safest way to travel.” Well, if you’re Lois Lane and the Man of Steel comes to your…
A Surprising Start to 2019
Professional writing has always been a bit of a dream job. As a college freshman, I realized that my idea of writing didn’t exactly coincide with academic writing, which had me taking juvenile literature classes and, the bane of my existence in 2013, British literature courses.
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…
The kids had two weeks off from school for winter break. They spent time with family and each other, and Ella used her manual wheelchair a lot. The festivities started with the annual breakfast for Lindsay’s birthday at Egg Harbor, where…
In season five of the FX series “Sons of Anarchy,” main character Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) watches his best friend Opie (Ryan Hurst) die in a prison fight. It’s a brutal scene that features some of the show’s defining elements: Shakespearean drama, graphic violence, and…
The Year of the Philosopher King
Just like every year, I spent the last few days of 2018 and the first few days of 2019 reflecting on life; specifically, what my life has looked like until this point and what I want it to look like going forward. It seems like every…
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…
Recent Posts
- Training a new caregiver is easier with a seasoned one at your side
- MDA 2026: Early Evrysdi treatment linked to milestone gains in SMA infants
- MDA 2026: High-dose Spinraza has benefits for many SMA patients
- Bringing empathy to SMA mental health advocacy-driven clinical work
- MDA 2026: Salanersen improves motor function in SMA kids after gene therapy
