Party of 9 — Betty Vertin

While the boys are away, it’s time to play! Well, not exactly. My three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) — Max, 17, Rowen, 14, and Charlie, 12 — are away this week…

Like many families in the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) community, we’re preparing to send our three sons with the condition to a weeklong camp for young people with muscular dystrophy. I’ve…

A couple weeks ago, as I was looking through social media, a memory from several years ago appeared on my timeline. I have three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): Max, 17, Rowen,…

Memorial Day weekend has come and gone, and we’re now officially in summer mode at my house. For our family, that means lots of baseball. I have three sons — Max, 17, Rowen, 14,…

He’s getting weaker. That’s the thought that keeps me up at night. Rowen, 14, the second of my three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), is declining. Rowen has always been the weakest…

The grass is finally green. Fragrance from lilac and other flowering trees fills the air. The fresh blooms brightly contrast the blue sky. These are all signs that spring has sprung and summer is…

Every mom I know in the Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) community has a diagnosis story. When I meet a DMD mama, we often share those stories; it’s a way we get…

My seven kids are my kids. That’s it. They all have strengths as well as weaknesses, challenges, and issues they must overcome. They also all have moments when they argue, talk back, get…

In a large family, there is always something to celebrate. I have seven children whose ages range from 15 months to 21 years old. Last week, we attended opening night at the theater, baseball…

As I’ve tried to decide what part of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) to write about this week, I can’t seem to come up with the amount of focus necessary to do so. Instead,…

While very serious and sometimes grim, the prognosis today for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the best it has ever been. This is because so many new therapies are in the…

As a child, I wasn’t around people who used power wheelchairs. Perhaps because my sons were the first people I’d met who were living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), or maybe because…