Author Archives: Kevin Schaefer

Certain days can only be described as “an SMA kind of day.” It happens when the power cuts off in the middle of the night, causing the BiPAP machine to stop working and the hospital bed to sink. Or,…

Do you sleep in your wheelchair?  This is a question I used to get all the time in middle school. I always thought it funny that some of my peers genuinely thought that I remained in my chair around the…

Around the corner from my house there’s a shopping mall that’s stood as an iconic symbol of my small hometown for decades. It’s across the street from the high school my sister and brother-in-law went to, and it’s also situated near my go-to Barnes & Noble store,…

As my 27th birthday approaches later this month, I recognize that this year will be vastly different from past celebrations. With the current global health crisis, many of us SMAers are spending a lot of time in isolation. Though I’m able to go to certain outdoor restaurants…

My 3-year-old niece Lily sat next to me, absorbed in the pages of her “Frozen” coloring book. On my right, my dad also was busy coloring an elaborate picture for her and her baby brother. Back when Lily was born, my parents…

It took three people to complete my retinal scan during my vision appointment the other day. Most people can just prop themselves up against the machine, stare into the camera, and finish in no time. SMA, however, adds a few extra steps to this process. …

Every morning when I wake up, I feel like my nose took a beating the night before. Grogginess is one thing, but when you factor in a BiPAP machine, it adds an extra layer of discomfort. As soon as I awake, I…

Within the pages of the Marvel universe, one of the most iconic superhero teams is the “Uncanny X-Men.” There’s Cyclops with his optic blasts of energy, Marvel Girl with her telepathic and telekinetic abilities, Wolverine with his regenerative healing abilities…

A few months ago, I wrote about my ongoing stomach issues and the impact this was having on my daily life. Despite the subject matter, I somehow managed to maintain a serious tone in the column. Truth be told, I was too…

View this post on Instagram Day 31 of 31 Days SMA Topic: Fashion and SMA This is…