Embracing My Inner Alien – a column by Kevin Schaefer

June 27, 2017June 26, 2017

Growing Pains Can Be a Real Headache with SMA

Columns, Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer

When I was a kid, I was skinny as a stick. Part of this was because I got sick so often, but the other reason was that I was ... Read more

June 20, 2017June 20, 2017

Post-College Career Finds the Bright Side of a Broken System

Columns, Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer

I’ve known for a long time that my post-college life would be a little unorthodox compared to that of my friends. While most people who graduate either enter the ... Read more

June 13, 2017June 12, 2017

Do I Hate It when People Tell Me that I’m an Inspiration?

Columns, Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer

The other night I was hanging out with a friend from college at a downtown pub. As we sat down and ordered a couple of beers, an older gentleman ... Read more

June 6, 2017June 6, 2017

Caregivers: The Good, the Bad and the Crazy

Columns, Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer

Last fall, in a creative writing course, I wrote a fictional letter that was mostly a satirical piece about my experiences with caregivers. I wrote it from the perspective ... Read more

May 30, 2017May 29, 2017

How Science Fiction and Comedy Have Become Therapeutic

Columns, Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer

As much of a geek as I am, I can’t recall the first movie I saw in theaters or the first comic book I ever read. Yet, I do ... Read more

May 23, 2017May 21, 2017

My First Trip Without Mom and Dad

Columns, Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer

I’m often asked by people how traveling works when you have SMA. The simple answer is that flying is a pain, and it’s much easier to do road trips. ... Read more

May 16, 2017May 16, 2017

The Curveball, Part 2: Some are Worse Than Others

Columns, Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer

As I wrote in a previous column, the unpredictability associated with SMA is in many ways the hardest aspect of the disease. I’ve broken my leg several times, but this ... Read more

May 9, 2017May 8, 2017

The Curveball, Part One: A Possibly Broken Leg

Columns, Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer

To say that SMA can throw a curveball at you at any given moment is like saying that the “Star Wars” prequels could’ve benefited from more rewrites. There are ... Read more

May 2, 2017May 2, 2017

Portraying Disabilities in Comics: The Pros and Cons

Columns, Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer

A few weeks ago I had a conversation on Twitter with a guy about the recently announced Batgirl movie, which has Joss Whedon set to write and direct. The ... Read more

April 18, 2017April 18, 2017

Welcome to ‘Embracing My Inner Alien,’ a Column by Kevin Schaefer

Columns, Embracing My Inner Alien - a column by Kevin Schaefer

One Wednesday night when I was in high school, either freshman or sophomore year, my youth pastor, Todd, said something that has stuck with me ever since. We had ... Read more