I am not twenty-something, I am in my late 30’s. People say I never look my age, which might be a good thing when you have a child’s disease. When I was diagnosed with SMA type I, it was something you died of, not lived with (pardon the dangling participle). So I put off ideas and relationships until my twenties because honestly I had more important things to accomplish. I have had a few relationships now and I wish I could say something to Brianna or maybe my younger self. It is not that I know everything about intimate relationships, I have never been married and none of mine have lasted more than 6 months. But at 16, 18, and even 21 years old, knowing that those relationships were even a possibility might have helped me to be more confident. Because that is a huge part of dating and relationships, being confident! Believe that you have something to offer someone that is just as valuable as what they can offer you. No, we cannot offer the same things that most people bring to the table. However, we can offer something different. SMA comes with an IQ boost, (at least that is what they tell me after they give me my IQ score) as well as hypersensitivity. Both of those things can be incredible attributes in relationships. The brain is the sexiest organ. Imagine it! Most of us have been through a great deal. So using that empathy to understand others and their struggles can be very helpful. There is no Mr or Mrs. Right. We have issues, yes. 90 percent of them are probably physical. So we have to realize that anyone that is going to be able to understand us enough to get close enough to matter is probably going to have issues too. Maybe those issues will be physical (that might actually make things more complicated) but maybe they will not be. Maybe they will be emotional, mental, spiritual… but pain is pain! And pain is probably something that we can understand more than most, so use it. Also, find something for which you share a common passion. Passion can lead to passion. Common interest are what you have with friends. Common passions are what bring people together! I was lucky, I found out that curiosity was my passion. I wanted to learn anything someone could teach me. Music, art, comics, physics, human anatomy… I found people who had a passion for these things and their passion became mine. I had exactly the same romantic ideal as Brianna, someone to look past my physical limitations. But found myself not looking past anyone else’s problems. I am not saying scraped the bottom of the barrel, have standards and have reasonable expectations. Numerically, having a wheelchair, alone, drops us down to a 3 (a drunken equation I hashed out with a few buddies) but intellect, imagination, openness, and confidence (and maybe breasts, sorry guys) can easily get someone to a 5 or 6, depending on how much they have of them. So when looking for a partner, aim accordingly. Again, who am I to tell you about dating or relationships. I am just saying what I would have said to 15-year-old self. Maybe it would have helped. Maybe it would not have changed a thing. So after a very long 1st post, I apologize and accept your gratitude (see confidence). Maybe this will help you, maybe it wont, or maybe you are thinking that I am full of it. Let me know!