Life, One Cup at a Time
— Alyssa Silva

As I was leaving a doctor appointment a few months ago, I reached my breaking point. In fairness, it was long overdue. For weeks, I could feel the tension bubbling inside me. Anxiety would greet me at the office’s main entrance and sit in the empty chair…

While I can’t speak on behalf of every medical professional I’ve come across in my lifetime (truth be told, that’d be quite a large number), I wouldn’t be surprised if they thought I didn’t own many clothes. I wouldn’t blame them. After all, I’ve been wearing the exact same pair…

A few years ago, I wrote about the need for more understanding and awareness about disability. No matter how many years have passed or how much has changed, I’ve always felt strongly that this topic should be included in everyday conversations about disability. In that column, I shared my…

Making friends as an adult is hard. At least, it always has been for me. After all, I’m an introvert. I like keeping to myself. But friendships are important to my emotional well-being, and I cherish them deeply. However, once I graduated from college and started working…

Ed. note: This column was written in collaboration with fellow columnist Halsey Blocher for SMA Awareness Month. Read about her experiences with multigenerational living and how the two stories intersect at ”From Where I Sit.”  It was another Friday night at the beach this summer, and I…

For as long as I can remember, I have participated in the SMA community in some way. Whether it was opening a lemonade stand as a little girl, participating in a research study, or running a nonprofit organization as an adult, I have always been committed to making…

Even though I’ve been disabled all my life, I had never heard of Disability Pride Month until I scrolled past someone’s Instagram post last July. I guess that’s the beauty of social media: For every detrimental effect it has on our well-being, it can also serve as a…

Recently, someone I know commented, “Alyssa doesn’t let her disease define her.” I absolutely understood where they were coming from. After all, I have always been determined. I have always been that girl who thrives in a challenge and loves nothing more than being told she can’t do something. (Spoiler…

If I had to choose the top three places I frequented prior to the pandemic, they would be the local coffee shop, Target, and Boston Children’s Hospital. Thankfully, I mostly frequented the hospital for appointments and procedures, not hospitalizations. Even so, I have spent a good percentage of my…

I’ll never forget March of last year when the pandemic began. Many of us didn’t realize how serious it was, and we didn’t know what to expect, how to handle it, or what we were in for in the months ahead. My family and I watched the news closely, read…

During the height of the pandemic last year, a steady influx of people often reached out to me to check on my health. It was quite admirable. Friends, family members, and even people I had lost touch with would call or text for status updates, and I truly felt more…

Last week marked 30 years since my diagnosis day. So many emotions resurfaced as I reflected on the past three decades and all that has happened in terms of medical breakthroughs, challenges I’ve overcome, and how my prognosis has changed since I was first diagnosed. Back…