Party of 9 — Betty Vertin

A banner for Betty Vertin's "Party of 9" that depicts a large family walking across a field at sunset..Betty Vertin is a mother and writer living in rural Hastings, Nebraska, with her husband and seven children. Betty is a caregiver to three sons, Max, Rowen, and Charlie. Her oldest was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy in 2010 at 4 years old. The other boys were diagnosed with the same in the following year. Although Duchenne occasionally crashes the party, it has not kept her large family from celebrating and enjoying life. She writes her column in hopes of sharing her family’s experiences with others on a similar journey.

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The unbearable weight of grief that smoothes the jagged edges

I type my columns on Tuesdays, but I write them in my head in the days before. I consider what to write, how to begin, and the words to use to share my life experiences. My family is fun, and my columns often reflect that, to show the lessons I’ve…

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Columns

I’m thankful our doctor can have telehealth sessions with us

Spring is by far the busiest season for my family. I have seven children who range in age from 2 to 23 years old, and three of them, Max, 18, Rowen, 15, and Charlie, 13, are living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Caregiving for my three sons with…

Columns

Planning for a tornado emergency with 3 sons who have DMD

It’s now tornado season here in Nebraska, which is part of the U.S. Tornado Alley. I could write a column about Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) being like a tornado in the way it came tearing through the life we’d established when my three sons — Max, 18,…

Columns

Reflecting on the beauty in life with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

I have three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): Max, 18, Rowen, 15, and Charlie, 13. While caregiving and parenting three young men with Duchenne is full of the challenges and heartaches I often share in this column, they do not outweigh the beautiful moments. Joy and…

Columns

Managing motherhood and caregiving: Where is the beauty?

My mind is spinning like the wheels on my son’s power wheelchair in the freshly fallen snow. You did not read that wrong, and it’s not a hypothetical. Here in Nebraska, it snowed this last week of March. It feels like a second winter. As if the spring snow isn’t…

Columns

7 tips for traveling alone with my 3 sons who have Duchenne

I am traveling this week with my three sons who have Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): Max, 18; Rowen, 15; and Charlie, 13. The four of us are in Denver for three days of clinical trial appointments and one day of cardiology appointments. Other Duchenne moms are often surprised…

Columns

When siblings take a back seat to their brothers with Duchenne MD

I don’t want to miss a thing. Yes, as I typed that, I sang the Aerosmith song in my head. It’s the soundtrack to my husband Jason’s favorite movie, “Armageddon.” But more than that, as a special needs parent and caregiver, I find that the lyric plays…

Columns

In choosing a college, my son with DMD is already winning

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…

Columns

The things we don’t talk about as Duchenne caregivers

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…


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