Seeing my younger self in the new blockbuster ‘Barbie’ movie
I didn’t even know about the “Barbie” movie until I saw people talking about it on social media. I watched the trailer and thought, “That looks like a funky little movie.” But…
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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‘A Whole New World’: Celebrating the SMA community at EPCOT
The older I get, the more easily I cry. It never used to be that way. I didn’t cry at movies. I definitely didn’t cry when I was happy. Crying was terrible, and I…
Regular exercise is helping me prepare for a trip to Florida
It didn’t take long for my mom — who, in her own words, is not “retired” but “reliving” — to take advantage of her surplus of free time. Days after settling into the…
Living with SMA means my body is like a jigsaw puzzle
As hopeful as I was when starting naturopathy, I didn’t actually expect anything to come of it. Desperate for relief and having tried everything else, I decided it was worth a shot. At…
Project Gameface has arrived: New tool makes gaming accessible to me
I woke up to a text from my friend Sherry: “Babe, you should try this new accessibility tool that just came out. It might help you game!” When it comes to video games,…
Yet another insurance obstacle on my journey with Evrysdi
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Evrysdi. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. I was expecting my insurance to…
Rewatching a TV series is helping me get through a quarter-life crisis
My dad and I have a long-standing tradition of rewatching old TV series. We’ve binged everything, including “Merlin,” “Stargate SG-1,” and “Star Wars Rebels,” over the years. Right now, we’re savoring every single episode…
An unexpected Evrysdi denial brings me back to the fight
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with Evrysdi. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. I never thought it would…
The truth about living with your middle-aged parents
If it’s not my mom rocking out to “The Final Countdown” by Europe, it’s my dad reminiscing about all the cartoons we used to watch. Shows like “Arthur” and “Dragon Tales” were mainstays in…
‘The Final Countdown’: My family begins a new chapter in life
If there’s one thing my dad and I can agree on, it’s that mornings are the worst. My mom, on the other hand, is a veritable morning person. She wakes up energized and…
Why I bit the bullet and decided to try naturopathy
You know what they say. If something isn’t working, try something else. It’s perfectly logical when you think about it. Why sink time and energy into something that isn’t getting you results? But I’ve…
An illness in the family brings chaos to my daily routine
A gentle hand shook me awake. The practice of “shaking me awake” originated with my caregiver, Danielle, who was accompanied by her 3-year-old daughter. Elena took it upon herself to wake me up.
