Darcy Leech's Blog

I opened my email today to read these words from a reader, and I knew my mommy was smiling. Letter below (edited to remove identifying features since it mentions children): Dear Darcy, I finished From My Mother this morning and was so very moved by it.  How do I begin to thank you for the … Continue reading On the fifth anniversary of my mother’s passing…

This is my brother Dustin. He was born with congenital myotonic muscular dystrophy. He inherited myotonic muscular dystrophy from my mother, Jo Lyn. She had adult onset myotonic dystrophy. My brother lived 13 years, and my mother 51. I did not inherit from my mother and live a “genetically typical” life with my husband and … Continue reading Photo Blog for Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation Conference

Tonight I got the amazing opportunity to spend time in real human conversation with two of the most important researchers in the scientific myotonic muscular dystrophy community - Dr. John Day and Dr. Jacinda Sampson.

Right now I’m sitting alone in the Chicago O’Hare airport. In a few hours, I’ll be in Washington DC checking into my hotel which is hosting the 2016 Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation Annual Conference. I’ve never been to an MDF conference before, and to tell you the truth, I’m not really sure to know what to … Continue reading Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation Annual Conference 2016

Breaking Up with Perfect: Kiss Perfection Good-Bye and Embrace the Joy God Has in Store for You by Amy Carroll My rating: 5 of 5 stars Having come to realize that from my childhood I tried to escape the stress of what was beyond my control by trying to control my own success through overachieving, […]

Dads are special. Many dads deserve a mention, a hug and appreciation today. In fact, my two children and I took my husband out to lunch today and showered him with hardback copies of the new Star Wars offical cannon.   But this note is for my daddy, and men like him who sacrifice so much […]

I moved. About a year ago. You know, I was a military brat growing up, so this should probably be no big deal. I’ve moved a lot in my life. But the last place I lived, Salina, is the one place I had lived longest in my life. I had been there from 99-2004 for […]

My brother, Dustin Ryan Bartz, was born with severe congenital myotonic muscular dystrophy and other complications created from a lack of oxygen reaching his lungs shortly after birth. Dustin would qualify as “non-verbal”. From his birth situation, he had hydrocephalus, or what they call “water on the brain” (which we didn’t technically discover until he […]

Making money by writing a book would be a nice side effect, but to be honest the reason I poured years into From My Mother, the story of my family and muscular dystrophy, was to reach families like mine. If you are in a family affected by a neuromuscular disorder, this book can help you […]

April 27th I got the honor of awarding the fourth annual Jo Lyn Bartz Memorial Scholarship to a senior at my alma mater and where I taught the first seven years of my career, Salina Central High. This year was a special treat because without either me or my father being on the selection committee, […]