I normally would not encourage drinking from the jug but Ashton was just so proud that he could finally do this with less than an inch of milk left in a half gallon jug. He will not be able to do this seemingly simple task with a half gallon or gallon of milk that most teenage boys take for granted. Boys generally start taking corticosteroids after being diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy to try and slow the progression of this muscle wasting condition. One of the many terrible side effects of taking them long term is delayed healing. So we had to put off Ashton starting them because he required tendo achilles lengthening surgery and needed to recover from that first. Then he started taking daily Prednisolone. It is highly unlikely that Ashton still will be able to walk by the time he is 10 years old. In these photos Ashton is 6 years old. He can not lift or carry a full gallon of milk, but his sisters could do both at only 2-3 years of age. If you have not known Ashton his whole life you may be a bit surprised by how thin he was. He started out being a tall and very skinny boy. Long term use of corticosteroids also causes weight gain and stunted stature. This has really become evident the past couple years. Being less active as the disease progresses plays a part in that too. And then being heavier makes it even harder for Ashton to keep mobile. [DJW-09/2012]