TULSA, Okla. — A dad in Tulsa is using his story of grief and isolation to help other dads not feel alone.
Jeremy Warren is a father to 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’s a genetic disorder that affects the nervous system and causes developmental delays.
Warren and his family spent lots of time in the hospital with Landon’s medical complications. This caused Jeremy to feel grief while trying to balance his family life while raising a child with special needs.
“There’s grief that you face and grieving the child you thought you would have, isolation, losing relationships with friends because you are in a different world,” Warren said.
Warren believed that 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 ten plus years the Lord impressed on my heart it was time to launch a nonprofit, a men’s ministry, that would serve others in our community that have a son or daughter that have mental, physical, or medical challenge often defined as special needs,” Warren said.
Jeremy founded the non-profit Dads on Special Assignment in 2021. The group originally started out with eight dads meeting at Evergreen Baptist Church. The word began to spread quickly to other dads with children with special needs through those dads.
The organization hosts monthly support groups at four sites:
- Evergreen Baptist Church in Bixby
- Battlecreek Church in Broken Arrow
- Little Lighthouse
- Memorial Baptist Church in Tulsa
“We’re really about building community, building relationships connecting dads and just helping them understand they’re not alone,” Jeremy explained on the goal of DOSA.
With those four sites and support groups, the organization has a curriculum that the dads go through to find their purpose about themselves, and Warren said it has even helped him.
“We talk a lot about hope, healing, and purpose. I’ve known what my purpose has been since starting this but for me, there has been a lot of growth, especially this year,” Jeremy said.
DOSA host cookouts and an annual charity and auction, the event gives dads the opportunity to share their testimony being in the organization and how it’s impacted their life.
2 News asked Warren how this organization he founded has impacted his life.
“This ministry is for me too. This is for all of us. I’m 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 help them understand that hey, we get the privilege of raising these kids,” Warren said.
Warren said his life as a dad wasn’t what he was prepared for, but now wants himself and other dads to know that their child is a blessing from God and has helped him see life in a new perspective.
“The importance of dads being invested and if a dad is healthy mentally, physically, and spiritually, then he can lead his family well and embrace his role as a dad on special assignment,” Jeremy said.
For more information about DOSA click here.
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