It has been a bizarre week in the Silva household. Come to think of it, “stressful” may be a better adjective to describe the energy inside our four walls. However, for the sake of accurately portraying the out-of-the-ordinary vibe that’s been circulating among my family members, let’s go with “bizarrely…
Life, One Cup at a Time
— Alyssa Silva
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.
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There aren’t many guarantees in life, but if you live in New England, you can always be sure there will be a winter nor’easter. With these storms come snow, wind, and power outages. The local news outlets remind everyone to get their bread and milk before the shelves are cleared,…
“Houston, we’re not in kindergarten anymore,” I said as we looked at our reflections in the mirror. My hair was carefully pinned back just right. My makeup was meticulously applied, and a Burgundy gown gently draped over the footplates of my wheelchair. To my right was my best friend, Amanda,…
“I was once the proud owner of a Jaguar,” is one of my go-to statements whenever I play “two truths and a lie.” If you haven’t heard of the game, it’s typically an icebreaker in which a participant tells two facts and a lie about themselves and the others must…
I always get hit with a wave of back-to-school nostalgia when September creeps up on the calendar. The days of shopping for supplies, picking out a first-day-of-school outfit, and being excited and anxious about the year ahead are a distant memory. In today’s column, I’m going to share one…
Lying on my couch one day in late August, I thought about how the previous weeks had been unexpectedly challenging. I was watching one of my favorite (albeit trashy) reality television shows. I’m not big into TV, so when I watch it for hours something is up. When my mother…
Over the winter, I drank a piping hot cup of ginger tea every night before bed. It was the only remedy that I could confidently say helped to lessen my acid reflux and ease my stomach discomfort. There was only one problem:…
If you are an avid football fan like me, I have great news. We don’t have to endure a Sunday without football for the rest of the year! Typing this makes me giddy, for it is the most wonderful time of the year in my playbook. However, I once would…
Last weekend, my cousin, sister-in-law, and I had a girls’ night out. We picked a spot in a cute, historic town, ordered espresso martinis, desserts, and cheered a summer well spent and our not-so-little cousin turning 21. I cherish moments spent with my family, for I understand how blessed I…
“Raise your hand if your return to reality has been a struggle.” That was the text I received moments after being set up on my phone to write this column. I had to chuckle. My best friend was referring to the weekend we had just spent at the coast…
In case you missed it, I skipped writing a column last Friday. I wouldn’t say it was by choice, even though one could argue that technically I requested the week off. If it had been up to me, I would have written that column. I would have…
As I write this column, only 11 days are left before my nonprofit organization hosts its 10th annual gala for spinal muscular atrophy. Eleven. And while 11 has always been my lucky number, as I glance at my to-do list I’m reminded there really isn’t anything lucky about it…
There’s a famous quote by Randy Pausch in his book “The Last Lecture“ that says, “We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” My heart holds so much truth in this quote because I often envision my life with SMA like building a…
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