Columns

As my time with the assistance dog charity I work for comes to an end, I’m seeking opportunities to occupy my time and keep me meaningfully engaged. At the same time, I’m looking forward to discovering other means of employment to ensure that I realize my goal of self-reliance…

I have three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): Max, 18, Rowen, 15, and Charlie, 13. When Max was young, he met all of his developmental milestones late. He didn’t sit up until he was 11 months old, crawl until after his first birthday, or walk until he was…

I had an incident about a month ago that I’ve been thinking about ever since. It’s left me wondering if it’s time for me to begin using a walker, something I tried years ago without much success. The Sunday after my wife, Wendy, had surgery recently, a friend…

I have three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): Max, 18, Rowen, 15, and Charlie, 13. While caregiving and parenting three young men with Duchenne is full of the challenges and heartaches I often share in this column, they do not outweigh the beautiful moments. Joy and…

During the month of March, I took a break from writing my column because I was experiencing withdrawal from recently tapering off an antidepressant and a steroid medication, which took a toll on my mental and physical health. The withdrawal symptoms aggravated my comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder…

My mind is spinning like the wheels on my son’s power wheelchair in the freshly fallen snow. You did not read that wrong, and it’s not a hypothetical. Here in Nebraska, it snowed this last week of March. It feels like a second winter. As if the spring snow isn’t…

I received an overwhelming response to my last column, in which I grappled with feelings of uselessness when my facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD) prevented me from helping in the way I would have liked to do. In this case, I was sitting at home while my wife, Wendy,…

I recently took my three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) to a hospital in Denver for three days of a clinical trial. One day was for each of them — Max, 18, Rowen, 15, and Charlie, 13 — and then they each had a day of cardiac…

I am traveling this week with my three sons who have Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): Max, 18; Rowen, 15; and Charlie, 13. The four of us are in Denver for three days of clinical trial appointments and one day of cardiology appointments. Other Duchenne moms are often surprised…

As I write this column, my wife, Wendy, is undergoing abdominal surgery. I won’t go into details, but it’s a pretty extensive procedure, so I’m concerned. I’d like to be there for Wendy, but due to my health issues, it’s just not possible. Instead, my daughter Jill is with her…