The Tale of Two Parking Lots: Navigating Marriage and Crisis with John Fela (Part 1)

The ‘Tale of Two Parking Lots’: How one father navigated the seismic shift from a medical emergency to the end of his marriage, and what he learned about finding true community.

In this deeply vulnerable episode, we sit down with John Fela, author of Faith Like My Father, to discuss the reality of parenting a child with level three non-verbal autism. We move past the surface-level advice to address the heavy hitters: the initial diagnosis, the terrifying reality of a child’s sudden seizure and brain surgery (Chiari malformation), and the profound strain these challenges place on a marriage. John shares his “Swiss Army Knife” approach to advocacy and explains why finding a community of people who “get it” is the single most important survival tool for any parent. If you’ve ever felt like your journey took a turn you weren’t prepared for, this conversation is for you.