Author Archives: Brianna Albers

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 next stage of her life, she started me on a new exercise regimen: regular 15-minute…

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 the least, I could return to my doctor with the hopeless certainty of someone who…

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, Sherry is the smartest person I know. She freelances as a journalist in the gaming…

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 turn up their nose at renewing my Evrysdi (risdiplam) prescription to treat my…

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 of “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” for the third time. “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” premiered in…

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 be this difficult to secure a life-altering treatment. This is about my best friend…

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 Albers household. But my favorite was “Cyberchase,” an after-school program about a bunch of…

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 ready to conquer the world. By the time I drag my sorry butt out of…

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 found that it’s hard to disinvest from something that, for all intents and purposes, should…

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. Every morning, a tiny little hand would touch my face, followed by a whispered warning.