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July 1, 2024
It is a difficult place being a Dad in Duchenne and there isn’t much opportunity to speak with others face to face.
We're going to be launching a virtual Dad’s night hosted by myself to give Duchenne dads some time and space to just talk to other guys in the same position.
I hear that finding time to unwind after a stressful week is gold dust and seems to be shrinking. We need to change that. Making time to relax and unwind is just as important as anything else when we’re in a stressful situation. It’s why sleep is always recommended and any olympic athlete will have rest days built into their schedule. We need to do the same. The virtual dads night is about just relaxing with other men who are in the same situation. It doesn't always have to be about duchenne either. I know myself sometimes when I've been in a tough place the last thing i feel like doing is unloading everything and talking through it bit by bit. In these cases it’s just nice to have a laugh with a few mates who get it, and would be ok with me talking about it if I wanted to but will also understand if i didn't. After speaking to a lot of dads I feel like we have that community together we just need a place to hang out.
I’m hoping that the Dads night is a place to get to know other people who get that, I genuinely have different conversations with dads. You have different priorities and often different ambitions that you’ve been forced to change and adapt. But you’re not alone in that. Personally I challenge any dad to get in contact with me if they feel like they are the only one facing a problem with duchenne and ill find you 15 other Dads thinking the exact same thing. With this dads night I’m confident i can show you that in person, even if it is just virtual.
There's no set agenda each week, it’s as open ended as going to the pub or for a meal with mates. We can talk about the big stuff one week and maybe even the football , or the music we grew up on the next. The content isn't what matters, what matters is that we are surrounded by a great team on these nights, and together there’s not a problem Duchenne throws at us or our families that we can’t deal with. Together, united, Dads Against Duchenne.
