SFN Dad To Dad 437 - Damian Buchman of Wauwatosa, WI, Disability Advocate, Cancer Survivor, Father of Three - Part 1

Our guest this week is Damian Buchman of Wauwatosa, WI, disability advocate, cancer survivor and father of three adopted children. At age 12, Damian was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer, in his right leg.  Seven months later and after undergoing chemotherapy, limb-salvage surgery, and remission, he was also diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his left leg.  His physicians believed surviving two primary bilateral osteosarcomas was extraordinarily unlikely.  Because of his cancer treatments, he has undergone more than three dozen major knee replacement and revision surgeries over the years and lives with a permanent ambulatory disability.Damian and his wife, Elizabeth, have been married for 18 years.  Unable to have children of their own, due to Damian's cancer treatments, the couple adopted three children as newborns: Lenon (10), Harrison (12) and Jackson (14), who has ADHD.Rather than allowing disbility to define him, Damian has dedicated his career to expanding opportunities for people with disabilities. He is the founder of:The Ability CenterWisconsin Adaptive Sports Association, and The Opportunity Center initiative, an ambitious vision for a universally accessible recreation and wellness destination.We also learn about Damian's journey as an adaptive athlete. It's a remarkable story about beating the odds, overcoming a life-time of obstacles, living a full and meaningful life and creating opportunities for countless others.  Show Notes -Phone – (262) 385-5738Email – [email protected] - https://www.linkedin.com/in/damianbuchman/The Ability Center - https://tacwi.org/Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Assn - https://www.wasa.org/The Opportunity Center - https://tocwi.org/Website: https://www.damianbuchman.comSpecial thanks to all those who supported the SFN U.S. Tour, a month-long, 50-state, 60+ stop tour that took place from May 21 to June 21, 2026: to strengthen and grow the Special Fathers Network and distribute 1,000+ complimentary copies of our new book: Dads Raising Children With Special Needs & Disabilities: A Guide For 21st Century Dads. Special Fathers Network –SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 900+ 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/channel/UCzDFCvQimWNEb158ll6Q4cA/videosPlease support the SFN. Click here to donate: https://21stcenturydads.org/donate/Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/