One month after our baby Jeffrey was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, I met Cindy Schaefer on an SMA message board. Her son, Bionews Services columnist and forums director Kevin Schaefer, was diagnosed with type 2 SMA a couple years before that. During our…
Ella loves the outdoors. As summer begins in our area, the warm weather follows, with shorts and short-sleeved shirts the preferred attire. But spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) presents some challenges for Ella as she plays outdoors. One challenge is getting herself outside. She has two options.
I am officially a baby influencer. I spent the morning tweaking my social media pages. I’ve been doing that a lot lately, ever since I graduated with a master’s degree and found myself with oodles of free time. But this was different. This was purposeful. This was in preparation for…
Ella had a special day last Wednesday. On June 10, she celebrated her 10th birthday. Ella turned double digits on her golden birthday. Naturally, she was excited for the day, but had no idea what was in store. I got her out of…
I was supposed to be in Disney World right now. I was planning on a week in the happiest place on Earth with some of my favorite people, followed by a comic convention back home. My summers tend to be full of travel and adventures, and this one…
Reader, it’s already June. How is that possible? On one hand, it feels like no time has passed. Part of me is convinced that the green, sun-dappled world outside my window is an illusion — poke it enough and the ice and snow of Minnesota winters…
The long-awaited days of summer have nearly arrived, and I am doing my best to take full advantage of the warmer weather. After so many months of sweaters that make it harder for me to move and sporadic snow flurries late into the year, it’s refreshing to throw open the…
For the past few months, I have been experiencing some debilitating health issues. I’ve spoken with my doctors. I’ve tried different medications. And while as a team, we have figured out ways to give my body some reprieve at times, the root issue has yet to be diagnosed and resolved.
June 7 was my 46th wedding anniversary. My parents reached their 50th anniversary 17 years ago. It is mind-boggling that my husband, Randy, and I are already old enough to ponder our own golden celebration. I have mentioned Randy in almost every column, if not all of them.
Technology is a big part of our lives these days. It helps us with learning, shopping, and communicating, among other facets. Kids today rely on technology for many of their needs. But what about kids with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)? How do they fare in this…
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