Party of 9 – a Column by Betty Vertin

I’m officially a mother-in-law! That’s a new title for me. I’m a mom to the seven children I share with my husband, Jason. I’m also a special needs mom and warrior mama to my three sons living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). And now I’m also a mother-in-law…

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) touches every part of my family’s life. Jason, my husband of 23 years, and I have seven children. Three of them — Max, 18, Rowen, 15, and Charlie, 13 — live with DMD. We’re now in the middle of what could be one of…

Wrestling videos were the soundtrack to my morning earlier this week. I was staring at a beige wall void of anything except a small white clock marking the time and the black screen of a television no one uses. Sitting in the infusion center at our local hospital, I thought…

This week, one of my boys had to get an MRI. Three of my four sons — Max, 18, Rowen, 15, and Charlie, 13 — are living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and they’ve had annual MRIs for the past 14 years (well, fewer for Charlie). Sometimes…

I often read social media posts from moms asking for safe and fun ideas for their children to enjoy during summer break. When my boys were younger, I worried about that as well. I wanted my three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) — Max, 18, Rowen, 15, and…

“What can I do to help?” It was my husband’s answer to the long rant I’d just finished. I didn’t know I needed an answer, but his caught my attention. Beyond the weight of my responsibilities, I was trying to carry myself — and the heft of that was crushing…

“I didn’t think you’d jump with us,” said my daughter Mary, 9, breathing heavily as she bounced from trampoline to trampoline. It’s true; I’d never taken her or her little sister Callie, 2, to the trampoline park before. But we do fun things, I thought. After thinking some more, however,…

Recently, our family had terrific reasons to celebrate. I have three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): Max, 18, Rowen, 15, and Charlie, 13. They are doing things we never imagined they’d do when they were young. Max, who recently graduated from high school, was in “The SpongeBob…

When three of my sons — Max, 18, Rowen, 15, and Charlie, 13 — were diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy between July 2010 and August 2011, my learning curve was practically a vertical line. When the diagnosing doctor first said “Duchenne,” it was the first time I had heard…

I feel relaxed — refreshed, even. We’ve had almost two weeks at home without any appointments or travel. The kids are complaining of boredom, but I’m letting boredom reign! It’s a beautiful but rare occurrence for my family of nine. My husband, Jason, and I have seven children: Lexi, 23,…