Why I Have Such a Strong Affinity for Football
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…
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.
Featured Post
A magazine article was my family’s lifeline during my SMA diagnosis
In 1991, before my family had ever heard the words “spinal muscular atrophy” (SMA), my parents desperately sought out answers to my developmental delays. At just 3 months old, I began showing signs…
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On Letting Joy and Pain Coexist
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…
A Weekend Getaway Requires Meticulous Planning
“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…
Why I Skipped My Column Last Week
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…
What Fuels Me Amid the Stress of Planning a Fundraiser
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,…
Why I View My Life As a Deck of Cards
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…
Life in the Fast Lane Leaves Me Struggling to Keep Up
The title of this column may be a tad deceiving — so allow me to clarify. My wheelchair only goes 6.2 miles per hour, and when you have an irrational fear of birds and…
I Wish That Living with My Complicated Kind of ‘Normal’ Were Easier
Sometimes, I wish it were easier. I wish it were easier for doctors to pinpoint the root cause of my mysterious daily symptoms. I would like to receive answers that…
Curiosity and Sweet Moments Build Special Bonds
As I was staring at a blank screen preparing to write this column, my little cousins Jackson and Mackenzie, who are 8 and 6 respectively, were playing with my nephew’s…
Driving to Faraway Coffee Shops While Learning to Honor My Good Days
Out of context, telling people that I willingly drive for an hour to get a good cup of coffee sounds pretty ridiculous. After all, think of the countless coffee shops I must pass en…
Small Spinraza Changes Yielded Big Results
I believe that the smallest changes can often yield the most impactful results. Someday when you reflect on your life’s culmination of little moments and modest actions, you will realize they’ve mattered more than…
Let’s Foster More Acceptance
Last summer, I wrote about how having SMA is apparently an open invitation for people to stare at me. It sounds crazy, right? It’s almost as though people in wheelchairs are about to…
