Our guest this week is Marsh Naidoo of Dyersburg, TN is a physical therapist who was born and raised in Durban, South Africa during Apartheid.

Marsh and her husband, Prakash, are the proud parents to son Kellan, who has Cerebral Palsy.

Marsh is the host of the popular Raising Kellan Podcast and author of the book “What I Wish I Knew Back Then."

We’ll hear this intriguing conversation between Marsh and our host David Hirsch on this episode ot the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Links -
Email – [email protected]
Website – https://www.raisingkellan.org/
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/marsh-naidoo-pt/
Healing Horses – https://equinetherapyregistry.org/index.php
Tri My Best Triathlon - https://give.vanderbilthealth.org/event/tri-my-best-triathlon-brentwood/e275146
The Book: What I Wish I Knew Back Then: A Physical Therapist and Mother's Perspective of Raising her Child with Cerebral Palsy. https://www.amazon.com/What-Wish-Knew-Back-Then/dp/1735224014/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2TV60DU2DA68M&keywords=what+i+wish+i+knew+back+then&qid=1678810569&sprefix=what+i+wish+i+knew+back+then%2Caps%2C105&sr=8-1

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.

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

Find out about Horizon Therapeutics – Science and Compassion Working Together To Transform Lives. https://www.horizontherapeutics.com/

Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/

Our guest this week is Joel Liestman of Maple Grove, MN who has been a professional actor for more than 25 years, a father to a son with William Syndrome and outspoken advocate for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Joel and wife, Jennifer, have been married for 23 years and are the proud parents of Bennett (11) who has Williams Syndrome, a genetic condition present at birth and is characterized by medical problems, including cardiovascular disease, developmental delays, and learning challenges.

Joel reflects on the importance of organizations like Parent 2 Parent and the William Syndrome Association have played in Bennett’s life and that of his family.

That's all on this episode of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast.

Show Links -
Email – [email protected]
Website – https://www.joelliestman.com
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelliestman/
William Syndrome Association – https://williams-syndrome.org/
Partnership Resources - https://www.partnershipresources.org/
Parent 2 Parent USA – https://www.p2pusa.org/

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.

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

Find out about Horizon Therapeutics – Science and Compassion Working Together To Transform Lives. https://www.horizontherapeutics.com/

Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/

Our guest this week is Christian Paddock of Seattle, WA who is a coporate trainer for Audi of America.

Christian and his wife, Megan, have been married for 10 years and are the proud parents of two girls, Addison (5) and Hazel, who was diagnosed with STXBP1, a rare neurological disease. Very sadly Hazel passed away at age six in 2021, as the result of a random accident.

Christian reflects on the six year odyssey of raising a child with a complex medical condition, the highs as well as lows, and the tragic loss of their beautiful daughter.

We’ll hear how Christian and Megan have met the challenges, dealt with tgrief, grown from this horrible tragedy, found some comfort through organ donation, and put the experiences into perspective.

That’s on this week’s Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Links -
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianpaddock/
STXBP1 Foundation – https://www.stxbp1disorders.org/what-is-stxbp1
Facebook Hazel On The Move – https://www.facebook.com/HazelOnTheMove
Life Center NW - https://www.lcnw.org
Washington State Fathers Network - https://fathersnetwork.org/
Project Possiible - Projectpossible.org
Book - Healing the Shame That Binds You, by John Bradshaw - https://tinyurl.com/bdz2jfet
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.

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

Find out about Horizon Therapeutics – Science and Compassion Working Together To Transform Lives. https://www.horizontherapeutics.com/

Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/

Please donate to 21CD to keep our resources free to all concerned: https://21stcenturydads.org/donate/

Our guest this week is Dr. Cole Galloway of Clevelend, OH who for more than two decades, was a professor of physical therapy at University of Delaware and is founder of Go Baby Go, a human rights movement dedicated to promoting mobility and social mobility.

While doing research, he developed a small car that young children, with special needs, could control themselves thereby opening a whole new world of possibilities. That discovery lead to the creation of Go Baby Go, which has forever transformed the lives and trajectories of tens of thousands of children across the U.S. and beyond. Go Baby Go has an open architecture that allows virtually anyone or any organization to make use of the resources, now in more than 200 locations.

It's a fascinating and uplifting story and Dr. Gallaway is our guest this week on this episode of the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Links -
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-galloway-1ba715107/
Go Baby Go - https://sites.udel.edu/gobabygo/
55 Page Manuel - https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.udel.edu/dist/f/3415/files/2017/07/GoBabyGo_Manual-1m8z16m.pdf
TEDx Talk – Changing The Landscape of Mobility - https://www.ted.com/talks/cole_galloway_changing_the_landscape_of_mobility
TEDMED Talk – A Movement For Mobility - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joYgbUWiZAI

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/ab...

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

Find out about Horizon Therapeutics – Science and Compassion Working Together To Transform Lives. https://www.horizontherapeutics.com/

Our guest this week is Corey Ferguson of Gahanna, OH who is s Developmental Disabilities professional and the father of three children with a wide range of special abilities.

Corey and his wife, Andrea, have been married for 15 years and are the proud parents of three children: Linleigh (12) who is a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, Brody (9) who has dyslexia, and Everly (8), who has bi-lateral hearing loss.

Corey has a real passion for being a dad and the work he does serving other families raising children with special needs.

We’ll hear Corey’s family story and more this week on this Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Links:
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/coreyfferguson/
A Kid Again - https://akidagain.org/chapter/central-ohio-chapter/
OH Dept of Developmental Disabilities - https://dodd.ohio.gov/home
Rising Above Ministries - https://www.risingaboveministries.org

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/ab...

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

Find out about Horizon Therapeutics – Science and Compassion Working Together To Transform Lives. https://www.horizontherapeutics.com/

Our guest this week is Ron Sandison of Rochester Hills, MI who is an Autistic man, a psychiatric care specialist at UHS Havenwyck Hospital, a professor at the Divinity School of Ministry, a speaker, an author of several books, and founder of Spectrum Inclusion, which empowers young adults with Autism for independence and employment through mentoring and conferences.

Ron and his wife, Kristen, have been married for 10 years and are the proud parents of Mikayla (6).

Ron's books include:

• A Parent’s Guide to Autism: Practical Advice. Biblical Wisdom.
• Views from the Spectrum: A Window into Life and Faith with Your Neurodivergent Child
• Thought, Choice, Action: Decision-Making that Releases the Holy Spirit's Power

Another one of Ron's gifts is that he has memorized and can recall over 5000 bible verses.

Ron has an amazing story to tell and we’ll hear it this week on the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Notes -
Spectrum Inclusion: https://www.spectruminclusion.com
Email: [email protected]
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-sandison-830b8740/
Ron's Books on Amazon:
A Parent’s Guide to Autism: Practical Advice. Biblical Wisdom.
https://www.amazon.com/Parents-Guide-Autism-Practical-Biblical/dp/1629986712/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1P9VHMCH2LCA0&keywords=ron+sandison&qid=1675963632&rnid=2941120011&s=books&sprefix=ron+sandison%2Caps%2C88&sr=1-1

Views from the Spectrum: A Window into Life and Faith with Your Neurodivergent Child
https://www.amazon.com/Views-Spectrum-Window-Faith-Neurodivergent/dp/B097Q2P3XT/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1P9VHMCH2LCA0&keywords=ron+sandison&qid=1675963632&rnid=2941120011&s=books&sprefix=ron+sandison%2Caps%2C88&sr=1-2

Thought, Choice, Action: Decision-Making that Releases the Holy Spirit's Power
https://www.amazon.com/Thought-Choice-Action-Decision-Making-Releases/dp/1632135248/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1P9VHMCH2LCA0&keywords=ron+sandison&qid=1675963632&rnid=2941120011&s=books&sprefix=ron+sandison%2Caps%2C88&sr=1-3

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/ab...

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

Our guest this week is Christopher Brewster of Waverly NY.

Chris and his wife, Kristen, have been married for six years and are the proud parents of three children: son Bowie (15) who has Angelman Syndrome, daughter Ada (17), and son Seth (26) who has Scleroderma, Short leg syndrome, Autism and more recently is undergoing gender transition.

From a professional perspective, Chris is a Community Engagement Manager for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier (Elmira & Corning area). He also works part-time as the Fatherhood Coordinator for Parent to Parent of New York State, connecting fathers of children with special needs to information and to reach other dads. Chiris is also a writer and a public relations/marketing professional with extensive experience in writing, advertising and graphic design, including being a staff writer for Southern Tier Life, a digital lifestyle magazine

Well hear Chris' story on this episode of the Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Links -
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisjbrewster/
Parent 2 Parent - https://www.p2pusa.org/
ASF - Angelman Syndrome Foundation https://www.angelman.org/
FAST (Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics) - https://cureangelman.org/

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/ab...

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

Our guest this week is Ian Todd, of Baltimore, MD, who is a financial services specialist.

Ian and his wife, Erin, are the proud parents to two daughters, Maple (6) and Rosie (4), who was injured shortly after birth as the result of Bacterial Meningitis and has cortical visual impairment among other conditions.

Ian is also a member of the first Special Fathers Network Mastermind Group that meets weekly on Wednesday evenings. He credits his faith and involvement with SFN and the SFN Mastermind Group with helping him put his challenges into perspective and be the husband, father and human being he wants to be.

We’ll hear Ian and Rosie’s story and more on this Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

Show Notes - 
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/ian-todd-5672bb19/

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/ab...

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

Our guest this week is Matt Bando, owner of Prodigy Printing and Promotions in Downers Grove, IL.

Matt and his wife, Saba, have been married for 27 years and are the proud parents of Zain (23) who is a spastic quadriplegic with Cerebral Palsy.

Zain is a graduate of University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and is masters degree student at the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and has participated in the Diveheart.org adaptive scuba diving program.

Matt is also part of the SFN Mastermind Group that meets weekly on Tuesday nights.

We’ll hear Matt's story and more on this Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.

WGN TV Video (2.24.18) - https://www.zainbando.org/testimonials/
Email – [email protected]
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-bando-9922499/
Diveheart - https://www.diveheart.org
Phone – (630) 362-1151

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/ab...

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

Out special guest this week is Dr. Temple Grandin of Ft. Collins, CO, a national speaker, a best-selling author, a professor of animal science at Colorado State University, and outspoken advocate for the neurodivergent and those on the Autism Spectrum.

Temple was an Ashoka Fellow. She was also named in the Time 100 List as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in the ‘Heroes’ category.

She also has a number of honorary degrees form universities around the world, including; McGill University in Canada, the Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Carnegie Mellon University and Emory University.

Temple is the author of numerous books including:
- Emergence: Labeled Autistic
- Developed Talents
- Thinking In Pictures
- The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across The Spectrum
- Different Not Less

Temple’s TED Talk entitled: “The World Needs All Kinds Of Minds” has been viewed more than 6M times. The movie Temple Grandin, produced in 2010, received numerous awards including seven Emmy Awards.

We are very grateful to Temple for her outspoken advocacy and for sharing her views with fathers raising children with special needs.

That's all on this SFN Dad To Dad Podcast.

Show Links:
Website - https://www.templegrandin.com
Email – [email protected]
Phone - (970) 443-1510
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/temple-grandin-9a087165/
Website - https://www.templegrandin.com/
Website - https://www.grandin.com/
Books - Thinking In Pictures - tinyurl.com/2dp589z5
TED Talk - https://www.ted.com/talks/temple_grandin_the_world_needs_all_kinds_of_minds

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/ab...

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