The world is holding its collective breath as COVID-19 makes its way across the globe. My daughter Ella has SMA. Her respiratory system is particularly fragile and compromised due to her disease. A simple cold can wreak havoc on her, landing her in the hospital…
Five Servings of Strength
— Michael Casten
Michael is married and a father of three, one being a child with SMA Type II (born in June, 2011). He is an educator who has worked directly with children and their families since 1994. He loves his family, writing, working with his hands, and taking road trips. Michael holds a bachelor’s in psychology (1994) and a master’s in education (2001).
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Ella, 10, the youngest of our three children, is thriving. She has friends from school, in the neighborhood, and online. She sings in a community choir, and occasionally plays with her siblings. Due to Ella’s disease, spinal muscular atrophy type 2, which directly affects her respiratory…
Warm weather in Chicagoland is slowly but surely creeping in. Temperatures on some days allow kids sporting short-sleeved shirts to play outside. Ella’s older brother, Henry, recently took advantage of a warm Saturday afternoon. He found his basketball and pumped it up. We have a regulation-sized…
At 9 years old, Ella is at the age in which she has become more concerned with her looks. And by the way, she has a crush on a boy at school! When her brother, Henry, came home last week with highlights in his hair,…
Ella is 9 years old. She has a debilitating disease called spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Her life is difficult at times, and she needs assistance with everyday tasks. She does as much as she can by herself, but ultimately she needs a lot of help. You…
Ever since Ella’s mom, Lindsay, had an amputation of her lower right leg, I have been in charge of the household. Months later, Lindsay had her left knee replaced. My household duties continued, in addition to my full-time job teaching. Last…
Life has settled down in the Casten household. We are still mourning the loss of Potter, one of our dogs. Needless to say, we are showering our other dog, Ginny, with affection. Ginny misses her big brother and tends to mope around the house a bit.
Our family loves animals. Ella has two baskets full of stuffed animals and she continues to get more. Three and a half years ago, our vizsla, Sasa, died of old age. A month before she died, we bought a new puppy we named Potter. Sasa…
Ella spends a lot of time in the breakfast room just off the kitchen. She does her homework at the table, where there are pencils, pens, rulers, scissors, and paper. She plays with her iPad, talks with her friends on FaceTime, and eats her snacks.
Ella’s mom, Lindsay, had a complete knee replacement on Jan. 8. She stayed in the hospital for two days before being discharged. We set her up in a pullout bed in the family room while she recovered. The first week went well: She did her exercises, iced and…
The house is full of wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches. Soon to be added will be a cane. Ella’s mom, Lindsay, had a total left knee replacement. The knee replacement was necessary because she had compensated for her right leg for many years as she battled a nasty infection…
The seats in the high school auditorium filled quickly before Ella’s first concert with the Young Naperville Singers (YNS) began. We had spent the morning getting ready for the concert. Showers were taken and outfits chosen. Ella loves making videos on her iPad and decided…
This week was my daughter Ella’s turn to have a date with me. My wife, Lindsay, and I try to spend one-on-one time with each of our three kids on a rotating basis. It fosters relationships and gives them individual attention away from home. Ella…
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