Author Archives: Alyssa Silva

“Where are the cartoons?” I jokingly asked my mom while “Sherri,” the daytime talk show, played on a television above me. She chuckled as I scanned the waiting room, taking it all in. There are moments in…

“Spinal muscular atrophy golf tournament,” I spoke into my voice-to-text software. It was late at night, and I was physically drained. As a result, I knew my speech wouldn’t be very articulate. Nevertheless, I persisted in trying…

There aren’t many guarantees in life, but if you live in New England, you can always be sure there will be a winter nor’easter. With these storms come snow, wind, and power outages. The local news outlets remind…

Lately, I’ve been asking myself whether what I have right now is truly enough to carry me through the hard seasons. It comes as the New England Patriots are heading to the AFC championship game. For…

The other day, I got my wheelchair stuck in a doorway. All I wanted to do was see the Christmas decorations at a local coffee shop. Perhaps even enjoy a nice cup of their matcha while quietly…

While I understand that inanimate objects cannot have a mind of their own, there’s a lamp in my bedroom that would kindly disagree. I’ve had this lamp for a couple of years now. It’s set to…

Autumn and I have always had a complicated relationship. Its golden hues, pumpkin-patch allure, and cozy feelings entrance me like no other. Yet, amid this season’s spell lies one hard truth to accept: Winter is coming. For…

In 1991, before my family had ever heard the words “spinal muscular atrophy” (SMA), my parents desperately sought out answers to my developmental delays. At just 3 months old, I began showing signs of weakness.

As much as I love to read, sometimes the physical act of doing so isn’t easy. Books quiet my mind. They transport me to another world where hospitals and doctors’ offices aren’t the norm. However, my hands and…

“Don’t worry, we all got the Alyssa lesson before we started working here,” the new fellow joked after having completed his second nasojejunal (NJ) feeding tube exchange on me. Though everyone in the room had a good chuckle,…