Merry Flu Season
This morning, I woke up to a most unusual greeting from my mother. “Good morning. I want you to stay out of Massachusetts,” she said while removing the BiPAP from my nose. Typically, she knows not to…
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
Why is listening to my body when I’m ill so hard to do?
“No, I’m totally fine” are often my famous last words when I’m actually not fine at all. Sometimes when an illness arises, I’ll downplay my symptoms. I’ll chalk them up to having a bad day while disregarding my…
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Practicing Simplicity and Finding Peace Amid a Chaotic Life
As Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong softly sing Christmas classics in the background, I ask my mother to set me up on my iPhone so I can gear up to write another column for you this week.
Wishing for Free Time
Free time is a beautiful and wonderful thing to have in a day. It allows time for the activities we love most, breaks up our days so we’re not wearing ourselves thin, and gives a moment to…
The Season: Pneumonia Edition
Well, friends, today’s column is going to be unlike what you read here most in my little corner of the internet. That’s because this column is brought to you by endless fluids, antibiotics, steroids, and a…
Spare Me from Your Sippy Cup
Let’s start this column off in the most real way possible. I’m weird. And I’m not afraid to let everyone know. I’m not talking about my weirdly disproportionate head-to-body ratio or that I have an arm that…
Why I’m Grateful for Another Year
Birthdays take on a slightly different meaning around here. At this time every year, I think about a story my mother once told me about the first birthday I celebrated and wonder how painful and heart-wrenching it…
The Perfect Bite-Sized Amount
Until I was 15, I managed to stay reasonably healthy. But for the first time in almost a decade that year, I was hospitalized. The winter months can be tricky, with colds and flu taking over just…
My Wheelchair Is Dead. Now What?
My wheelchair has been my ultimate sidekick since I was a curly-headed toddler, and just like any other great sidekick, I rely on it for pretty much every aspect of life. Without my wheelchair, I would be…
Promise You Won’t Quit, OK?
As much as I don’t like to admit it, sometimes life can be brutally unfair. I’m even hesitant to type these words because it seems as though everyone is always so focused on creating and chasing the…
Life Before and After Spinraza, Part 2
Second in a series. Read Part 1 here. There’s a certain significance that Dec. 4 holds in my life. What started as an ordinary day morphed into the day that forever changed the course of my…
Life Before and After Spinraza, Part 1
If I asked you right now to tell me what your life’s defining moments were, what would you choose? Would it be something that left you feeling content and hopeful? Or would it be something more dark…
When Life Gave Me Lemons
“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” We’ve all heard this saying. It has been repeated and engraved into our brains. It teaches us to take the bitterness of life and learn to make it sweet again.
