Hello, I’m Kieron — aka Duch Dad.

Dad to Mila-Rose and Alfie, football fan, music lover and firm believer that most situations in life can be improved with a cup of tea, a good song or a bit of sarcasm. Sometimes all three.

Family life is perhaps a little different to the one I imagined when I first became a dad.

In February 2018, our lives changed forever when our son Alfie, then just three years old, was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) — a rare, progressive muscle-wasting condition.

Our daughter Mila-Rose is autistic, which means that as well as navigating life with Duchenne, I’m also learning what it means to be a dad to two children with very different, and sometimes complex, needs.

I use the word learning deliberately — because I’m still learning every day.

I started Duch Dad as somewhere to put all the thoughts, fears and emotions that came with Alfie’s diagnosis. Writing became my coping mechanism — a place where I could be open about what life was really like without pretending I had all the answers.

Over the years, though, Duch Dad has become much more than that.

It’s become a record of our family’s journey — the difficult days, the ridiculous moments, the milestones, the adventures, the people we’ve met and the memories we’ve made along the way.

I write about Duchenne, but I also write about being a dad.

That now includes the challenges — and the joys — of parenting two children with complex needs. Two children who experience the world differently and need different things from me as their dad.

I’ll write about Autism, Duchenne, family life, mental health and learning to cope. I’ll write about the times I get things right and probably more importantly, the times I get them completely wrong because this isn’t a blog about having all the answers.

It’s about trying to make the most of the life in front of us rather than constantly worrying about what might be around the corner.

There have been some incredibly tough chapters, but there have also been some bloody brilliant ones!

Through sharing them all, I hope I can raise awareness and perhaps help another parent — especially another dad — who finds themselves sitting where I once sat, wondering how on earth they’re supposed to deal with everything that’s just landed in their world.

I still don’t have all the answers. I’m not sure any of us do.

I’m simply a dad to two brilliant kids with complex needs, learning as I go and writing about it along the way.

Thanks for stopping by and becoming part of our story.

Kieron

#DuchDad