Posts by: Katie Napiwocki

Spring is a magical time of awakenings, a flagship season of gentle nudges and reminders from the natural world outside my window. Lately, I’ve felt like a honeybee, and I ... Read more

March 3, 2022March 3, 2022

Living on My Own: Reinvention and Self-love With SMA

SMA News Today Columns

For the first time as an adult, I’ve met the stranger within myself. I’ve been exploring the unknown caverns winding deep inside my heart, not from an underground entrance, but ... Read more

December 9, 2021December 9, 2021

Hope, Oxygen, Acceptance, and Other Essentials in the Anatomy of a Cold

SMA News Today Columns

Most days, I try not to worry about my SMA to the extent that I forget to breathe and live. I attempt to construct a balance in which I’m tending ... Read more

November 4, 2021November 4, 2021

The Asymmetries of a Physical Therapy Routine and a Koala’s Conquest

SMA News Today Columns

My body tensed, rigid as the blue therapy mat beneath my body. The physical therapist cradled my right leg, directing me to push my foot against his hand with all ... Read more

October 7, 2021October 7, 2021

Moving My Body of Solitude and Connecting With the World Around Me

SMA News Today Columns

I’ve been on my own more than usual lately. The idea feels odd to me when I first greet it, but when I consider the depths of the hourglass accounting ... Read more

September 30, 2021September 30, 2021

Dragonflies, Tiny Tables, and Big Feelings: Exploring Sexual Wellness Accessibility

SMA News Today Columns

I have a fear of falling. It’s not from the great heights of suspension bridges or tall buildings. No, it’s much more humble than that. I fear I will fall ... Read more

September 9, 2021September 9, 2021

Through Chaos and Calm, I Voyage Onward

SMA News Today Columns

It was a classic Midwestern summer day on Lake Michigan as my friend Sarah and I parked by the Wisconsin docks of the Sailing Education Association of Sheboygan. As we ... Read more

August 12, 2021August 12, 2021

Charades With a Little Wolf and Lessons From a Katydid

SMA News Today Columns

To no avail, I called out his name to grab his attention. He couldn’t hear me, and I pondered how to boost the synergy between us. The little wolf nuzzled ... Read more

July 22, 2021July 22, 2021

Inviting People to Sit at the Table of My Disabled Life

SMA News Today Columns

I can still see the golden afternoon of my first tea party like it was only yesterday. I swung open the wooden cottage gate. In the center of a secret ... Read more

July 8, 2021July 8, 2021

Exploring the Riverways of Disability Pride and Disabled Kinship

SMA News Today Columns

It coaxed out the wildness inside of me. My wheels chomped at gravel with each twist and turn of the riverside trail I was traveling. Acorns were devoured in satisfying ... Read more

June 17, 2021June 17, 2021

The Day I Abandoned the Flowers: A Morning Memoir of Ableism

SMA News Today Columns

I rolled up to the checkout counter, rosy cheeks beaming in delightful mimicry of the friendly-faced pansies beside me. The greenhouse air was thick and sweet like the morning sun’s ... Read more

June 3, 2021June 3, 2021

Embracing the Growing Pains of New Wheels

SMA News Today Columns

As a tiny tot, I crawled everywhere. I was the daintiest crouched explorer my backyard habitat had ever known. Once I crawled, my family soon beckoned me to begin walking. ... Read more

May 20, 2021May 20, 2021

Broken Hearts, Bird Nests, and Beagle Fur: A Legacy of Love

SMA News Today Columns

I sat on my outdoor patio, coffee cup in hand, breakfast before me, and eyes alive with wonder of where my beagle, Eva, might be. I scanned the feathered tips ... Read more

April 22, 2021April 22, 2021

Confessions of a Star Thief: The Paradox of Wishing Away Negative Aspects of SMA

SMA News Today Columns

Some people with disabilities say they’ve never wished for different circumstances. Well, I’m about to enter a black hole with you, in revelation of an honest confession: I’ve cast so ... Read more

April 15, 2021April 15, 2021

Keeping the ‘Wild Green Thorns’ of Advocacy Fatigue at Bay

SMA News Today Columns

Have you ever felt the sensation of the wild green thorns? In times of overwhelming frustration, they slither toward the pit of your inner sanctuary from outer reaches. Their barbed ... Read more