Her nieces are beautiful, loving children and the rest of her family is committed to them even though Eliza and Chiara have an incurable, irreversible condition which will see them need care for the remainder of their lives.
Category: Personal Stories
The following stories are from people who have had intimate contact with FASD. The stories are from birth parents, foster and adoptive parents and people with FASD. It is critical for health practitioners to read about the personal side of FASD to flesh out the clinical aspect of the condition. The problem that people with FASD have not being able to link cause and consequence means one thing when it is written on paper but it means something completely different to parents.
How do they do it?
The story of this family is a story of love and commitment not often seen. They have adopted eight children all of whom have FASD. Those of us who have one or two children with the condition find it difficult enough to cope – this family is exceptional.
This Child is their Treasure
They not only saved their nephew from a slow death but also gave him love and hope for his future in paradise.
He was never a ‘normal’ kid
Husband and wife medical professionals who would often look after children in trouble found that love and commitment were not enough when the child who is theirs in their heart is not theirs in the eyes of the law.
She wondered why she was different
This mother who believes she has FASD herself has raised three children. She used alcohol through one pregnancy and abstained through the other two. The child of the ‘alcohol’ pregnancy is now experiencing very marked behavioural problems and has developed an alcohol dependency; the other two children are ‘A’ students. She herself is the child of alcoholic parents and was adopted as a baby into a very loving family. Even though she had the best of upbringings she always felt different.
Reflections
This is a poem from the founder of the rffada, Elizabeth Russell. It may help to explain some of the reasons why women may use alcohol while pregnant128.55 KB.