Our guests this week are Toby Brown of Colorado Springs and Jesse Hohn of Littleton, CO.

Toby and his wife, Angela Bird, have been married for 15 years and are the proud parents of two children; Kavan (19) and Anabelle (17).

Jesse and his wife, Felima, have been married for 23 years and are the proud parents of three children: Ethan (21), Arianna (18) and Sadie (14).

Four of their five children have Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome (or SDS), a rare genetic disorder that affects many parts of the body, particularly the bone marrow, pancreas and skeletal system.

We learn about how Toby and Jesse's friendship has evolved as a result of both having children with Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome. We also learn about many of the organizations that have played an instrumental role in the lives of the Brown and Hohn families, including: Camp Sunshine in Maine, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Special Olympics of Colorado, Team Impact and the Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome Foundation.

It's an uplifting story about two dedicated dads, their commitment to their families and the bonds that have developed as a result of their shared experiences.

Shwachman-Diamond Syndrome -
https://shwachman-diamond.org
https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/4863/shwachman-diamond-syndrome

Camp Sunshine - www.CampSunshine.org

Team Impact - https://www.teamimpact.org/state/colorado/

Jesse – [email protected]
Toby - [email protected]

Jesse – 303-667-2874
Toby – 719-252-5749

Special Fathers Network -
SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 500+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are raising kids with special needs, have said: "I wish there was something like this when we first received our child's diagnosis. I felt so isolated. There was no one within my family, at work, at church or within my friend group who understood or could relate to what I was going through."

SFN Mentor Fathers share their experiences with younger dads closer to the beginning of their journey raising a child with the same or similar special needs. The SFN Mentor Fathers do NOT offer legal or medical advice, that is what lawyers and doctors do. They simply share their experiences and how they have made the most of challenging situations.

Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/about-the-special-fathers-network/

Check out the 21CD YouTube Channel with dozens of videos on topics relevant to dads raising children with special needs - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzDFCvQimWNEb158ll6Q4cA Please support the SFN. Click here to donate: https://21stcenturydads.org/donate/