Dad’s journey supporting parents of children with special needs

TULSA, Okla. – A father in Tulsa is using his story of grief and isolation to help other fathers not feel alone.

Jeremy Warren is a father of six sons, very involved and loves having boys. But it wasn’t until his second oldest son, Landon, was born with a rare syndrome called Pura. It is a genetic disorder that affects the nervous system and causes developmental delays.

Jeremy Warren

Warren and his family spent a lot of time in the hospital due to Landon’s medical complications. This left Jeremy feeling grief as he tried to balance his family life while raising a child with special needs.

“There’s grief that you have to deal with and the grief for the child you thought you were going to have, isolation, losing relationships with friends because you’re in a different world,” Warren said.

Warren believed he was the only father dealing with this grief and wanted to make connections with other fathers in Tulsa who were in the same situation.

“Fast forward, for over a decade the Lord impressed on my heart that it was time to establish a nonprofit organization, a men’s ministry, that would serve others in our community who have a son or daughter with a mental , physical or medical challenge that is often defined as special. needs,” Warren said.

Jeremy founded the nonprofit Dads on Special Assignment in 2021. The group originally started with a meeting of eight fathers at Evergreen Baptist Church. Through those fathers, the news quickly began to spread to other fathers with children with special needs.

The organization hosts monthly support groups in four locations:

• Evergreen Baptist Church in Bixby
• Battlecreek Church in Broken Arrow
• Small lighthouse
• Memorial Baptist Church in Tulsa

“We’re really about building community, building relationships that connect fathers and help them understand that they’re not alone,” Jeremy explains of DOSA’s purpose.

With these four locations and support groups, the organization has a curriculum that the fathers go through to discover their purpose for themselves, and Warren said it has even helped him.

“We talk a lot about hope, healing and purpose. I know what my goal has been since I started this, but for me there has been a lot of growth, especially this year,” said Jeremy.

DOSA organizes cooking sessions and an annual charity organization and auction. The event gives fathers the opportunity to share their testimonies about their membership in the organization and how it has impacted their lives.

JASON WORK

2 News asked Warren how the organization he founded has impacted his life.

“This ministry is for me too. This is for all of us. I am not excluded from this; I’m not going to have all the answers. I just want to create an environment that builds that community and helps them understand that we have the privilege of raising these kids,” Warren said.

Warren said his life as a father was not what he was prepared for, but now wants to let himself and other fathers know that their child is a blessing from God and has helped him see life in a new perspective.

“The importance of fathers being invested and if a father is mentally, physically and spiritually healthy, then he can lead his family well and embrace his role as a father on special assignment,” Jeremy said.

For more information about DOSA, click here.

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