The Wolf Finally Frees Itself - a column by Brianna Albers

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Brianna Albers (she/her) is a crip cyborg storyteller living in Minneapolis-St. Paul. In 2016, she founded Monstering, a magazine for disabled women and nonbinary people. She consults as a patient ambassador for SMA My Way and writes the column “The Wolf Finally Frees Itself” for SMA News Today. She is currently revising THE SAINT AND THE SPIDER, an adult space fantasy with #OwnVoices disability representation. Find her on social media @briehalbers.

Yet another insurance obstacle on my journey with Evrysdi

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Evrysdi. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. I was expecting my insurance to turn up their nose at renewing my Evrysdi (risdiplam) prescription to treat my SMA.

An unexpected Evrysdi denial brings me back to the fight

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Evrysdi. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. I never thought it would be this difficult to secure a life-altering treatment. This is about my best friend and…

The truth about living with your middle-aged parents

If it’s not my mom rocking out to “The Final Countdown” by Europe, it’s my dad reminiscing about all the cartoons we used to watch. Shows like “Arthur” and “Dragon Tales” were mainstays in the Albers household. But my favorite was “Cyberchase,” an after-school program about a bunch of kids…

Why I bit the bullet and decided to try naturopathy

You know what they say. If something isn’t working, try something else. It’s perfectly logical when you think about it. Why sink time and energy into something that isn’t getting you results? But I’ve found that it’s hard to disinvest from something that, for all intents and purposes, should be…

An illness in the family brings chaos to my daily routine

A gentle hand shook me awake. The practice of “shaking me awake” originated with my caregiver, Danielle, who was accompanied by her 3-year-old daughter. Elena took it upon herself to wake me up. Every morning, a tiny little hand would touch my face, followed by a whispered warning. “Five,”…

Switching wheelchairs was more painful than I expected

“It won’t be this way forever, right?” This has become a sort of refrain for my dad and me over the past couple of years. Whenever we’re overwhelmed, we turn to each other and ask for confirmation. Whatever we’re struggling with in the moment, whatever has us down for the…