Alyssa Silva is a writer based out of Providence, Rhode Island. She was diagnosed with SMA type 1 in 1991 when she was just 5 months old. Aside from writing, Alyssa is the chief creative officer for an intimates brand and runs a small business selling her artwork. In her free time, you can find her canceling plans to hang out with her golden retrievers, watching reruns of “The Office,” and convincing others why Taylor Swift is the greatest of all time.
“Don’t worry, we all got the Alyssa lesson before we started working here,” the new fellow joked after having completed his second nasojejunal (NJ) feeding tube exchange on me. Though everyone in the room…
Digital detoxes are all the rage these days, and for a good reason. If you didn’t already know, a digital detox is time spent disconnecting from all devices with a…
There’s a brand new medication currently waiting for me on my kitchen counter. I see it every single day. I debate taking it. I chicken out. I’ve developed some health issues in recent weeks…
The other day, I read one of my old columns and thought to myself, “Honey, if you only knew what was to come.” My January column, “Please Stop Glorifying Being…
My body has never handled stress well. Come to think of it, does anyone respond well to stress? Typically, my body reacts to stress in the form of gastrointestinal issues.
I was scrolling through Instagram recently and found myself growing increasingly bitter about what I saw. People were congregated on beaches, packed like sardines in bars, and carrying on with their lives as if…
Another day, another opportunity to go through a box of tissues to wipe the drainage coming out of my ears. Is that how the saying goes? That may have come across a bit grotesque,…
Recently, I learned that zebras are the official symbol of rare diseases. I have a rare disease, and my unique characteristics — such as a zebra’s stripes — serve a distinct purpose in my…
All my life I’ve been freakishly in tune with my body. It sounds like a great quality to have, right? I’ve always been hyperaware of my symptoms and can spot when something in my…
As I write this, I’ve been home for 11 days. Actually, let me rephrase that. I haven’t left this house so much as to go outside to get some fresh air, feel the sunlight…
For the past few weeks, social media feeds have been inundated with posts about the #10yearchallenge. It’s a way for people to showcase transformative photos of themselves. Some are from 2009 and others…
This time of year is my family’s time to shine — literally. Our house sits on a hill on a narrow street that runs parallel to the main road. Separating these two roads is…