A Friend’s Diagnosis Leads to Reflection on My SMA Past
I’m lucky that I was diagnosed at a young age, too young to remember anything that happened. I was talking to my father about it the other night,…
The Wolf Finally Frees Itself
— Brianna Albers
Brianna Albers (she/her) is a crip-cyborg storyteller living in Minneapolis-St. Paul. She was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type 2 in 1996 and lives with co-occurring physical and mental health conditions. By day she works as an advocate, bridging disability and mental health awareness to empower people to live their best lives; by night, she dabbles in imagination, and is currently writing “An Angel in the Garden,” an adult space fantasy with #OwnVoices disability representation. Find her online at briannahopealbers.com and on social media @briehalbers.
Featured Post
With cancer in the family, my SMA has been out of the spotlight
I’ve been putting off this column for months, I guess in the hopes that it’d become easier to write. I didn’t want to go public until I knew for sure that everything was going…
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Possibility of Straighter Teeth Brings Risks of Surgery
You know how sometimes a comment can stick with you? That’s been my life this past week. It was something my dad said a while back. I don’t…
Kicking the Door Open
I’ve never been all that interested in the Oscars. I prefer TV over film and, anyway, I can trust social media to keep me informed of the fashion…
New Therapist, New Goals
I recently switched therapists. I’ve only seen her a few times, but I already have a good feeling about it. She’s survived two different types of cancer and…
Living on Borrowed Time
I officially graduated with my bachelor’s degree in December, but I only just received my diploma in the mail. I’ve been expecting it for weeks now, but it…
Different Bodies, Still Equal
I realized the other day that I am missing a collarbone. It’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. Parts of the body that appear in my…
In Defense of My Identity as Disabled
A majority of my classwork this semester revolves around discussion forums: posting our analyses of different counseling theories and responding to other people’s analyses, among other things. It’s…
Accessibility and the Never-ending Quest for a Tattoo
If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’ve been seriously considering getting a tattoo for months now. A former personal care assistant (PCA) and I decided way back in…
On Getting Up Again
Part of being disabled is waking up one morning and wishing you could be done with it all. I’ve never admitted that before, least of all…
2018: A Year for New Beginnings
I like setting goals and making lists of everything I want to accomplish over the next 12 months. But resolutions feel dangerous to me — mainly because I never…
Another Year, Another Adventure
You may have noticed I was essentially AWOL throughout the month of December. I certainly wasn’t planning on disappearing, but you never can truly prepare for a two-day…
SMA and Days of ‘Bad Body Vibes’
I’ve always had a weird relationship with my body, and I’ve always struggled to put that relationship into words. I don’t struggle with self-image; my reflection isn’t distorted.
