Party of 9 — Betty Vertin

Halloween is over, and I’m happy to say we all got through it. While it was one of my favorite holidays when I was a kid, celebrating it with children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy has made trick-or-treating challenging in ways I never dreamed of. This week, I’ll be writing…

I have shared many times in this column that I have three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. People sometimes think I’m an expert on the subject. But the truth is that my boys are unique, and Duchenne has affected each of them differently. Their disease progression and weakening muscles…

On a Facebook page that documents our family’s journey with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, I recently posted about how invitations to birthday parties and friends’ houses are not typical for my three boys with Duchenne, especially with them using chairs full time. However, the post celebrated the fact that my…

I think all moms need strong shoulders and extra arms. We carry purses, diaper bags, backpacks, and discarded jackets. Duchenne moms carry more, including sometimes our kids and their equipment, although I’ll admit that power wheelchairs are great for carrying bags without tipping over, unlike manual chairs and strollers.

I have a decorative sign hanging on a wall that says, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” The fall reminds me that we need to begin to prepare for school. Every fall, my husband, Jason, and I attend individualized education program (IEP) meetings…

Three of my boys were diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy when they were small. We’ve spent many years preparing to be caregivers for them as adults with Duchenne. We remodeled our home, added ramps to the front and back of our house, and upgraded to a wheelchair-accessible van. The…

I love the everyday, ordinary moments of motherhood. Maybe I’m crazy, but the laundry (no matter how never-ending), groceries, menu planning, and chauffeuring of kids all bring me so much joy! Duchenne muscular dystrophy can be a thief of that joy. Duchenne is hard to plan for, and because…

It’s homecoming week here in Nebraska. Our local high school has its homecoming football game today, and the dance is tomorrow. I love homecoming. It’s a time of fun and excitement. The crowd at the football game always seems full of extra energy. The kids get dressed up and…

I saw a meme today that said, “I need a day between every day to recover from the day before and prepare for the upcoming day.” I could not have identified with anything more today. If you haven’t guessed it yet, I am exhausted. I was a single caregiver and…

Our family has encountered many challenges in our journey with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and there will be more to come. If I were to ask the question, “What is the hardest part of Duchenne?” in a room full of parents whose children have the condition, there likely would be as…

It’s tempting to label the siblings of those who have Duchenne muscular dystrophy as the “unaffected siblings.” But I can never seem to get those words out of my mouth. Siblings are indeed affected by Duchenne. In my family, the siblings, Lexi, Chance, and Mary, experience Duchenne daily, even though…

My oldest son with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Max, starts his sophomore year in high school this week. He will be halfway through his high school education by the end of the school year. For a long time, I was afraid to look too far into his future. At diagnosis, a…