Kevin is a writer, podcaster, and lover of all things pop-culture. Diagnosed with SMA Type 2 at the age of 18 months, he shares a vast array of hilarious and eye-opening stories from his life with a neuromuscular disability. In addition to his weekly columns, he works as the Director of Forums for this site’s parent company, BioNews. Kevin is a graduate of North Carolina State University and lives with his parents in Cary, NC. People regularly mistake him for Tony Stark, on account of his intellect and advanced technological equipment.
 Thanks to the fine folks who handled my wheelchair at the airport a few days ago, I’m now writing this column while sitting in my bathroom seat. My mom is going to get my chair looked at, and until then, I needed to…
Since I started receiving my Spinraza (nusinersen) treatments in November 2017, my energy level has skyrocketed. Often, I don’t even realize just how good I feel now. Then I think back to when I was a teenager, struggling with sleep apnea…
One of the ways that spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has affected me physically is my posture. I’ve always had difficulty sitting up straight, and to this day I have lateral supports attached to both sides of my wheelchair to help with this. I…
A few weeks ago, when I was preparing for my eighth Spinraza injection, I had to indulge in an activity that many of us with SMA dread. We manage everything from pneumonia to travel fiascoes, but having to get blood drawn is…
On May 24, Zolgensma (previously known as AVXS-101) became the second FDA-approved treatment for SMA. This gene therapy from pharmaceutical companies AveXis and Novartis is a major milestone for the SMA community, as it follows Biogen’s groundbreaking treatment Spinraza (nusinersen)…
Those of us who have SMA live surrounded by other people. We rely on others to bathe us, get us dressed, help us eat, move our hands, drive us to work, and to be available for any other tasks we may need assistance with throughout the…
I now know what it was like for Mary and Joseph when they were trying to find a room in Bethlehem. While we didn’t have to resort to sleeping in a manger, my parents and I had quite the adventure searching for an accessible hotel room in the…
A couple of months ago, a woman stopped me in the hallway of the clinic I go to for physical therapy. She overheard me talking with one of my physicians about my Spinraza (nusinersen) treatments, and she asked me to speak with her two teenage sons who…
If someone had told me a few years ago that I would love going to physical therapy every week, I would have laughed. Let’s just say that the idea of letting other people stretch my arms and legs, contort my muscles into uncomfortable positions, and make me do…
They say it takes a village to raise a child. If that’s true, then it takes an army to care for someone who has SMA. Though most of us tend to have one or two primary caregivers, the reality is that we depend on countless people every day…
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