Growing Up With SMA: Maija’s Story

This video from Attitude is all about 10-year-old Maija Fredrichberg from New Zealand. Maija describes herself as “a girl with a big imagination” — she enjoys all the things other 10-year-old girls enjoy doing and wants to be a pop star she grows up. She talks about her life at school and home and what it’s like being a young girl living with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).

MORE: How to talk to your child about their neuromuscular disorder.

Maija opens up about a previous spinal surgery (done to correct a curvature in her spine when she was younger) and how she’ll need another surgery in the near future. The film charts Maija and her family as they decide whether or not more spinal surgery is the way to go and what the pros and cons of the procedure are.

MORE: Nine ways a physiotherapist can help SMA patients.

SMA News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.