Given FACED WITH A GRIM PROGNOSIS FOR HIS THREE CHILDREN, BRIAN HORAN DECIDED THERE WAS ONE THING TO DO: GET ON WITH LIVING.
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his story could easily take a dive into gushy sentimentality. But it won’t. Brian Horan won’t let it.
He cannot stand pity. Not because it makes him uncomfortable, but because he’s too darned positive to sit still for it. Brian and his wife, Kim, have three sons with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a genetic disease that affects one out of every 3,600 male infants. Boys who have the disease are unable to make dystrophin, a necessary protein for muscle development. Over time, their muscles become weaker, first affecting the legs and ultimately the lungs and heart. Twenty-two years ago, all in one day, the Horans learned that all three of their boys—then 2, 4 and 6 years old—had the disease and that none of them would probably live past high school. “Sometimes I think about that day,” Brian says. “That was a tough week.” But the Horans have moved well beyond that tough week. During the last six years, Brian and all three of his sons have attended MSU Denver together. In 2011, the oldest son, Ryan, graduated with a degree in speech communication. Brian followed in December 2013 with a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering. Aaron and Ian are on target to graduate in spring 2014. If you ask Brian how they’ve been able to achieve so much when they have faced such overwhelming challenges, he simply chalks it up to having the right attitude. “I don’t believe anybody is lucky,” he says. “I think that if you just keep a positive outlook you are able to see opportunities where others may not.”
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life became more routine after their devastating news, Brian and Kim began to focus on getting the boys through high school. Kim decided to stay home while Brian launched a successful career as a service manager in the automotive industry. He was working 65 to 75 hours a week to make ends meet and enjoying the work immensely. As the boys’ abilities declined and they each became reliant on wheelchairs, Brian made all of the accessibility changes to their home himself, saving money on expensive construction projects. Much to everyone’s surprise, Ryan thrived and graduated from high school in relatively good health. At this point, a lot of parents keep their Duchenne boys home, concerned about growing health risks and accessibility issues. Because DMD weakens the heart and lungs, those compromised organs can be the ultimate cause of death for many boys with Duchenne. But just as often, a simple cold can become fatal to boys whose physical resources are so diminished. Still, the Horans started planning for college. “You can’t avoid the things that make life worth living,” says Brian. In their search for the appropriate school for Ryan, the family visited MSU Denver. “I was totally impressed,” recalls Brian. “We saw right away at Metro that Ryan could get into every building.” The Horans also appreciated MSU Denver’s Access Center, which Brian says helped to “level the academic playing field” for his sons “without babying them.”
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