It certainly seemed like it was going to be another regular evening at the Jones house. That was until Emily came down to where little Charlie was playing with his toys. Emily had been noticing that Charlie's calf muscles were enlarged, she also noticed that he was falling often for no apparent reason, he was having trouble climbing the stairs, running, walking, and doing things that regular kids should be able to do.

So Emily took Charlie to the doctor to find out what was wrong. The doctor diagnosed Charlie with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Emily was scared as she had never heard of this before. The doctor said that she'd probably never heard of it because the estimated prevalence was 1 in every 7,250 males aged 5-24.

Emily was worried for her son's safety. So as soon as she got home from the doctor's she researched the disease that Charlie had just been diagnosed with. She found out that not only was it a recessive inheritance but it was considered to be the most common fatal inherited disorder that is diagnosed in childhood.

When Emily looked up the treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy she found that it wasn't curable but there were ways to help people living with it. Some of the things she found were:

*Diet

*Exercise and medications

*Physical and occupational therapy

*Cardiac care

*Respiratory care

*Spinal curvatures

*Braces, standing frames, and wheelchairs

A week later Emily had to take Charlie to the doctor's for a follow up appointment.

"So, what difficulties will I face in the future with Charlie?" Emily asked.

"Well I've heard from other parents that it is "much like mastering a balance beam." I've also been told that parents find they can't always count on people. The parents have to create their own support system. I get a lot that they aren't prepared for the future. You'll also notice you have your own meaning of the word "love"