Party of 9 – a Column by Betty Vertin

Life is lived in seasons, at least here in Nebraska, where we experience all four of them. Some days offer nearly perfect weather: The sun is shining, the temperature is in the mid-70s, and I can smell the thaw of winter and feel the hope of spring. Then there…

I am a competitive former college athlete married to a someone who is equally competitive and also was a college athlete. We like to win and try to position ourselves in ways to make it possible. However, when three of our sons, Max, 18, Rowen, 15, and Charlie, 13, were…

When three of my sons were diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy more than 10 years ago, I shared everything we experienced on social media and found support and understanding. But as they grow older, weaker, and more dependent on me, I find caregiving harder than I could’ve imagined. I…

Pulling into a parking spot at my oldest son’s high school, I hit a parked car with my van. Thankfully, there was no damage to either vehicle, and the car’s owner, sitting in the front seat when I hit it, was amiable and understanding. I could safely unload my son…

I do too much. You might assume I’m talking about caregiving because you’re reading a column written by a caregiver. And in part, you’re right. But mostly, it’s an admission that I’ve been doing things for my three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) that they can…

I love to read, but finding time to sit down with a good book can be challenging in my busy house. As a mom to seven and a primary caregiver to my three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), quiet time is often interrupted by my children. Occasionally, however,…

One of my favorite early-summer memories is from when my sons Max and Rowen were younger. Both lovely little boys — one blond-haired and blue-eyed, the other dark-haired and brown-eyed — squealed with laughter upon discovering a frog in our front yard. Max held the frog up in his hands…

There is joy after a diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). There is joy after the loss of ambulation. There is joy in the midst of watching Duchenne slowly work its progressive, muscle-wasting way through my sons Max, 18, Rowen, 14, and Charlie, 12. That may be hard…

When I stopped working at a job away from home in 2007, I never imagined it would be a permanent change. I was pregnant with my third child, Chance, who is now 16, and had decided that I wanted to stay home full-time with my kids. On my last day…

I forgot how scary hope can be. There was a time, a few short months, when I realized I was giving up. I accepted that Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) would continue to progress in my sons, and there wasn’t much I could do about it. I hadn’t thrown in…