Laughing through the Tears

For a while I have been reflecting and documenting my journey of having a family and one of my 2 sons having a terminal diagnosis. It is definitely not for the light hearted and sometimes it is really hard to look back and see what Patrick and I have created since we heard the words Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy on October 31, 2007.

The diagnosis of Duchenne is not easy and definitely not what I expected when Patrick and I planned to have our first child. Everyone has a vision of what their life will look like in the future, but you know what they say...God laughs at the best made plans.

Those words and the words from my favorite movie Steel Magnolias, “Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion” helped create the name for my newest endeavor....Laughing through the Tears.

Through this blog I hope to give others a place where they feel part of something that is bigger than them. A place to hear that enjoying the moment is greater than wallowing in the sorrow of a diagnosis. So to begin here is a little history of what life has been for us. Over 13 years ago our 1 year old Wyatt was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. A progressive muscle wasting disease that will eventually confine him to a wheelchair and require someone to help him do most if not all his daily activities. Looking at it that way sure is overwhelming. Luckily I have been blessed with marrying my best friend over 15 years ago and together we joined the fight of our lives for our son.

Initially we were told by many “medical experts” during the diagnosis phase that we should go home and love our little boy and that there was nothing we could do to change the trajectory of his life or our life for that matter. Luckily, Patrick and I were and still are on the same page of things and we knew just sitting around hoping for something to change the future wasn’t going to happen unless we believed things could be better and took control of Wyatt’s care. In future entries I will talk more about the trials and tribulations of the Duchenne diagnosis, fighting for awareness and a cure for our son, growing a family, losing friends and finding new ones. All through this we look for those who will support our family and who will join us in finding the laughter through our tears.