https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2026/8/8/back-to-school-by-fran-joyce

I’ve written a lot about Ireland and the Irish in my online magazine, This Awful Awesome Life. Here’s one of my favorites.

https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2020/3/10/irish-poets-by-fran-joyce?rq=Irish%20poets

When he was five, he was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive incurable muscle wasting disease. We sat across a desk from a specialist who told us our son would lose muscle strength until he could no longer walk, lift items, breathe or eat without assistance. He predicted Christian wouldn’t make it out of his teens.

My life and my family changed that day, but the one thing that didn’t change was Christian’s spirit. He remained the same smart, funny, kind, and sometimes snarky child. No matter how much his body let him down, his mind became stronger. He kept going and became an exceptional human being.

He continued to inspire us to be better people. He wasn’t perfect and at times his condition frustrated and angered him, but he never asked, “Why me?” He never wished his disease on anyone else. He never used it as an excuse not to care about the world or the people in it.

I still struggle with the unspeakable grief and feelings of failure because I couldn’t protect him from this illness or make him well. Selfish feelings fueled by ego - a parent’s desire to control our children’s destinies and fix all things that aren’t perfect.

His birthday hit me hard this year. I’ve had to face my own anger and realize that I’m not alone. I couldn’t save my son, but that doesn’t mean that I get to give up.

There’s still plenty to be done. Protecting and fighting for research to prevent or cure childhood diseases. Fighting for sensible gun laws, mental health resources, food, housing, healthcare, and education.

My son’s life was far too short, but long enough to remind the people who knew and loved him that quality of life matters. If we’re not working together to improve everyone’s quality of life that’s the real failure. How will you use the power of your grief?

It’s the start of Pride Month and efforts to erase this important celebration are in full swing. It’s up to all of us, regardless of our sexual orientation or gender, to make sure this administration does not succeed.

The achievements of members of the LGBTQIA+ community must be recognized and celebrated. This article is one of my small contributions, https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2025/5/31/june-2025-pride-month-by-fran-joyce

Here is “The Restless Heart”

https://www.thisawfulawesomelife.com/home/2025/4/4/the-restless-heart-a-short-story-by-fran-joyce