Party of 9 — Betty Vertin

Here in the Midwest, June brings warmer temperatures. I live in Nebraska, where warmer weather is welcome after bitterly cold winters and brisk, windy springs. It’s also necessary for the crops growing in the…

I’m a mother of seven and a caregiver to the three of my sons who have Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). My oldest daughter, Lexi, 24, lives a few hours away with her husband.

When I think about my son Charlie, I always remember my pregnancy with him. I’d taken a home test and knew I was pregnant, but when I called to make an appointment with my…

Once again, I’m writing from an uncomfortable chair in an infusion room as my son Max participates in a clinical trial. I frequently visit this room with my three sons — Max, 19;…

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last column. I’ve missed writing them. I can never explain how therapeutic it is for me to share my life as a caregiver through writing. I…

I am going at a pace I can’t maintain. As a former half-marathon runner, I can feel the burn in the pit of my stomach as I write this. I can feel the heat…

I’m writing this column as my husband, Jason, drives our family through the last rolling hills on the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains. Last week, we took an epic road trip from our…

I don’t gamble. I don’t know how to do it. I wouldn’t even know how to place a bet, and the only gambling game I recognize by name is poker. However, for someone who’s…

“Mommy, hold me. Mommy, hold me.” These were the words I heard repeatedly from my 3-year-old daughter, Callie, during the four days we spent in the neuromuscular clinic with her older brothers last week.

My husband, Jason, and I are parents to seven children: Lexi, 23; Max, 19; Chance, 17; Rowen, 16; Charlie, 14; Mary, 10; and Callie, 3. This week we’re traveling with five of them: Max,…

Superheroes were a large part of my life less than a decade ago. I am a boy mom. We had four sons in five years, and our house quickly became a lived-in museum of…

My heart is walking a tightrope. I’m a 45-year-old wife to Jason and mother to our seven children: Lexi, 23, Max, 19, Chance, 17, Rowen, 16, Charlie, 14, Mary, 10, and Callie, 3. Three…