A neuropsychological evaluation greatly affected how we plan to educate our 13-year-old son this school year. As Rowen begins the eighth grade, I am proud of the services he will receive. A neuropsychologist hasn’t always been a part of the care team for our three sons with Duchenne…
If you thought you missed my column last week, it wasn’t you — I didn’t write one. My kids were sick with cold symptoms. One thing you may not know about large families is that germs spread like wildfire, and the entire family gets whatever is going around. There are…
There is a busyness to parenting. Children of all ages need their parents for many reasons. And perhaps because my husband, Jason, and I have seven children ranging from 7 months to 21 years old, we feel every ounce of that busyness. I read memes and articles about the glorification…
“We are called upon not to be successful, but to be faithful.” This quote, which has been passed down in many forms, is one of my favorites from Mother Teresa. I’ve been thinking a lot about life with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). We’re going to our neuromuscular clinic…
It’s August, and here in Nebraska, that marks the start of a new school year. As preparations were underway at our house, a freshly sharpened No. 2 pencil rolled across the kitchen table. My oldest son, Max, who lives with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), noticed it and remarked…
When you have kids’ Legos in the house, you tend to have Legos everywhere! At least, that’s how it’s always been here with my “Party of 9.” My oldest son and second child, Max, 16, got us started with the building bricks over a decade ago. Growing up,…
Being a mother to a child with special needs is a demanding job. My children need things I cannot ignore, no matter how tired or busy I am. Last week I hit my wall, and something had to give. Maybe you noticed it was my column. I could not be…
We had a tough day here this past week. Everyone was tired, and emotions were running high. After a long day, we hit a breaking point. I was going on day six or seven as a single parent while my husband was traveling with one of my sons for…
My oldest son, Max, was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) on July 10, 2010. During the following year, my sons Rowen and Charlie were also diagnosed with DMD. In a few days, it will be the 12th anniversary of Max’s diagnosis. But for me, July 10 serves…
This week’s column is a little different than usual. Hawken Miller, a fellow Muscular Dystrophy News columnist who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), reached out to collaborate. Hawken, who’s also a features writer for Bionews, the parent company of this website, asked me five questions about being the parent…
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