I almost accidentally drank chunky coffee the other day. How’s that for the introduction of all introductions? I thought about easing you into it slowly in an attempt to avoid making your stomach squirm. I explored how I could go about this storyline in a manner that would…
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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Recently, I was teasing my brother about how he apparently doesn’t care about me anymore. (Don’t worry. This couldn’t be further from the truth.) The next day, I was scheduled for an iron infusion and was dreading it. Because I live with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), maintaining my iron…
I came up with the idea for this column at 5:45 a.m., when I’m usually just falling into a deep REM cycle. (Sleeping has never come easily for me.) I wish I could say I was up at that ungodly hour (mornings also never come easily to…
One of the most frequently asked questions I receive from readers, friends, and even family members, is how I physically write my columns. The evolution of my ability to write has changed drastically over the years. I will try my best not to bore you with the nitty-gritty details, but…
In May 2017, I became an auntie to a beautiful little boy named Lincoln Anthony. I’ll never forget the day we heard the news. It was a sunny Saturday morning in early fall when my brother’s affectionately named “demon dog” darted into the house wearing a shirt. I…
I had a friend in college who was very much a free spirit. He always went with the flow, never sweated the hard stuff, and was the kind of person who was always up for an adventure. To kill time and unwind together, we used to hop in…
Can I be totally real with you for a second? Putting yourself out there into the world is no easy task. Being honest, sharing your truth, and inviting cyberspace into your own little, unique world is an incredibly vulnerable feeling. What will people think? Are you sharing too…
I think I can speak for the majority of the disability community when I say that we all crave a little more empathy and understanding from others. While I don’t expect a stranger on the street to fall in love with me at first sight, I do expect…
Last week, I wrote about the harsh reality that sometimes is SMA. I retold the story of my attempt to drive through the mountains of New Hampshire and how after breaking down at a gas station, I realized my body had other plans. I explored the…
Crying at a random gas station in rural New Hampshire was on my long list of things I thought I’d never do. Yet, there I was, two hours away from home, coming undone and growing angrier than ever at a disease that was beyond my control. I’ve been…
Between back-to-school commercials, first-day-of-school posts, and college-move-in-day pictures, this time of year always has me reminiscing about my days as a student. Although I am no longer shopping for notebooks and binders and figuring out if any of my friends are in my classes, the memories of these…
For a good chunk of last year, I dreaded when people asked how I was doing. To an extent, I understood their logic. They were genuinely curious about my well-being, and showing their concern showed that they cared. But the truth was that I wasn’t doing all…
Over the past weekend, pictures from the annual candle lighting for SMA that took place on Aug. 11 inundated my social media feeds. As most of our community knows, this lighting represents the lives lost too soon to this debilitating disease and those who are still living in spite…
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