Brianna Albers

Happy Tuesday!

My column for September is about happiness. I’ve been thinking a lot about the topic and how happiness differs from person to person, and even from age to age. For example, as a teenager, I had very specific ideas as to how happiness would look like, ideas that were largely influenced by all the romcoms I grew up with as a…[Read more]

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend.

Alyssa’s latest column struck a chord with me. I’ve written several columns on caregivers myself, so I immediately understood the grief Alyssa mentions in “How a Cup of Tea Helps Me to Grieve the Absence of a Caregiver.” You tell yourself it’s just a job for the people taking ca…[Read more]

Happy September, everyone!

In her latest column, Alyssa dives into her love of football. She never used to enjoy the sport, but one Sunday, she had the house to herself and turned on a New England Patriots game. She learned the terminology and quickly fell in love. Fall is her favorite time of year because the season brings another…[Read more]

Hi everyone! Monday’s “31 Days of SMA” post was close to my heart, as it spoke to intersectionality. Intersectionality refers to the complex overlap of different identities, particularly with regards to discrimination. In Monday’s post, Hugo Trevino discussed his identity as a gay, disabled, Mexican American male with an M.A. in Educati…[Read more]

Happy Monday, everyone! Last week of August — can you believe?!

Friday’s “31 Days of SMA” post was a special one. Natalie’s brother, JC, was born right around the time she was diagnosed with SMA. Their parents weren’t sure if JC would have SMA as well, but their suspicions were confirmed when he lost the ability to stand. From that point on, N…[Read more]

Hi everyone!

My column for the month of August went up yesterday. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I’ve been having trouble with lab technicians lately. As part of my Accutane regimen, I have to get monthly pregnancy tests. I opted to do these via bloodwork as opposed to urine samples.

No one listens to me when I req…[Read more]

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend.

In her latest column, Alyssa recounts a recent getaway and all the planning that went into the trip. For her fellow bridesmaids, it was as easy as throwing together a weekend bag. Alyssa, however, had to bring all her medical equipment, as well as medications and extra clothes in case of…[Read more]

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend!

As you may have noticed, Alyssa skipped last week’s column. In this week’s column, she explains that. If it’d been up to her, she wouldn’t have, but to her frustration, her body made the choice for her. She worked herself to the brink to make sure her nonprofit’s annual fundraiser gala went…[Read more]

Happy August, everyone!

I’m super excited to announce our latest initiative, 31 Days of SMA, that will run throughout the month. Every day, a different member of the SMA community will share their story and unique perspective on life with SMA. August is SMA Awareness Month, so this is a great way for members of the community to learn m…[Read more]

Hi everyone! Hope you all had a great weekend!

Check out Alyssa’s latest column here. She writes about the stress of fundraising season. This will be her 10th annual gala for SMA, which is impressive as is. It’s even more impressive when you read about all the work she puts into the events. Alyssa has 25 people on her team, but as she puts i…[Read more]

Hi everyone! 

This week’s column is more than a little bittersweet. If you follow me on social media, you’ll know that I’ve started as a part-time copy editor for BioNews Services, the parent company of SMA News Today. That’s the sweet part — it’s the perfect position for me, and I’m looking forward to my future at BNS!

The bitter part: b…[Read more]

Hi everyone!

Check out Alyssa’s latest column, “Why I View My Life As a Deck of Cards.” She compares life with SMA as a delicate house of cards. You can spend all your energy trying to build the perfect house, but you’re limited to the hand you’re dealt. When disaster strikes, and your house of cards comes tumbling down, there’s nothing yo…[Read more]

Hi everyone! In my latest column, I wrote a bit more about the Cure SMA conference, specifically what I got out of the experience as someone who is relatively new to the community. I had no idea what to expect and, honestly, didn’t get much out of the workshops. It makes sense, considering that most of them are geared towards newly-diagnosed f…[Read more]

Happy Monday! We’re halfway through July already. It’s crazy!

Life seems to be going faster and faster for me these days, which is why Alyssa’s latest column hit me as hard as it did. In this piece, she writes about her recent level of activity and the fatigue that accompanies it.

Like Alyssa, I love crossing things off my to-do list.…[Read more]

Happy Tuesday! In my latest article, I revisit the title of my column, “The Wolf Finally Frees Itself.” I met several people at the 2019 Cure SMA conference who knew me and my column, and at one of the meet-ups, I was called a social media influencer. It’s easy for me to forget that people keep up with my writing! I have a bad habit of submi…[Read more]

Hi everyone! It’s been a long two weeks, but I’m finally back in Minnesota, safe and sound. I love traveling, but there’s nothing better than coming home after some time away.

I wanted to recap the annual Cure SMA conference. This was my first conference since I started working at BioNews. (I’ve only attended one other conference in Chicago…[Read more]

Hi everyone! We just left Anaheim and are driving up the West coast today. We’re taking our time getting home, but we’re pretty wiped out and ready for things to get back to normal.
For this week’s column, I wrote about our first week of vacation and some of the things that went awry. Our hotel in Yosemite National Park couldn’t honor our…[Read more]

Happy July, everyone! I can’t believe how fast June went. I always expect a nice, low-key, no-pressure summer, but instead I get chaos and fatigue. Oh well!

I really enjoyed Alyssa’s latest column. About a year ago, I was experiencing some debilitating headaches with no obvious cause. I’d never really dealt with chronic pain before, and I…[Read more]

Hi everyone! I’m writing this in the back of our van somewhere in the flatlands of Wyoming. My parents and I are on our way to the Cure SMA conference in Anaheim, CA, which I mention briefly in this week’s column. The past month or so has been ridiculously busy, and now that we’re on the road, things feel that much more frazzled. We’re essenti…[Read more]