S2E18: Carrying On Through Loss, Love, and Duchenne with Kelly Fitzpatrick
This week on the Show Me the Way podcast, I’m joined by my friend and fellow Duchenne mom, Kelly Fitzpatrick. Kelly is an energetic, strong-willed, and fiercely independent superhero mama who has worn many hats over the years — including Army veteran, dental hygienist, yogi, and mom to three boys.
Kelly’s life has taken her across multiple states through her military service, education, and career. She married a fellow serviceman, and together they welcomed three boys close in age. When her oldest began showing signs of muscle weakness, Kelly trusted her instincts and started digging for answers. That search led to a devastating diagnosis: Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Soon after, she learned she was a genetic carrier — and heartbreakingly, that her two younger sons were also affected.
As if that wasn’t enough, Kelly found herself navigating profound loss and change all at once. Within the same year as the diagnoses, her marriage ended in divorce, and a few years later, she also lost her mother. Today, Kelly cares for her boys mostly full-time, facing new challenges daily. While she has some support from family and friends, she’s still learning how to ask for — and accept — help.
Despite enduring an incredible amount of adversity in a short period of time, Kelly continues to show up for her boys with love, strength, and determination. She is deeply reflective in this episode, sharing how she’s beginning to better understand her own needs — even as she so often puts her children first, sometimes at the expense of her own self-care.
Kelly’s story offers powerful lessons for all of us, regardless of our circumstances. She reminds us to stay present, to ask for help specifically and accept it when we need it, to say no when something isn’t right, and to never give up — because there is always a way to figure something out.
Kelly and her boys offer incredible perspective, resilience, and grace. I’m truly honored she shared her journey and wisdom on the show.