My recent conversation with David Hirsch of the “Special Fathers Network” is now available, and will be presented in two parts.
SFN Dad To Dad Podcast #384 – View full article here.
Featuring SFN Mentor Father Steve Harris – Part 1
Meet Steve Harris of Lanesboro, MN a free-lance writer, author, and father of two sons with disabilities.
Steve and his wife, Susan, have married for 17 years. Steve and his first wife, Pam, were together for 30 years, before she passed away in 2012 due to a rare neurological disorder. Steve and Pam had two boys: Matthew who was born in 1980 with Spina bifida and younger son, Andrew, who is 37 and who has Cerebral Palsy. Both boys would eventually be diagnosed with PMD or Pelizaeus Merzbacher Disease, a rare neurological disease, where there is a lack of myelin covering the nerves.
Very sadly, Matthew passed away in October 2020 four days short of his 40th birthday.
Steve’s career included being a pastor, a middle school teacher and for 20 years, director of communications at Twin Cities YMCA. All along Steve has been a free-lance writer, who more recently has published two books:
Dads Like Us: A Survival Guide For Fathers Raising Children With Disabilities (2024)
Lanesboro, Minnesota (2018)
We also learn about a wide range of supporting organizations the family has benefited from, including:
Spina Bifida Association,
Boston Children’s Hospital,
University of MA Medical Center,
Genetic Counseling Gillette Children’s Hosp-St. Paul,
Wanna Meonie’s School (Palo Alto), and
MN Accessible sports.
One of Steve’s superpowers is his resilience through some of life’s greatest challenges.
This week’s episode of the SFN Dad To Dad Podcast is Part 1.
