Anne Russell
Russell Family Fetal Alcohol Disorders Association
My name is Anne Russell. I’m a birth mother of two adult children with FASD. They were both diagnosed when they were in their teenage years. But it was far too late really for it to be alot easier for them as adults. I’m also the founder of the Russell Family Fetal Alcohol Disorders Association. That was founded in 2007. And I provide support and assistance and information to other parents and caregivers. I really need and want to make their journey a little bit easier than our journey was and still is. It’s that period from when you find out or from when you actually conceive to when you find out that’s the critical time in the fetus’ life and the baby’s life. So that’s really important you, know, planning that pregnancy. If you are drinking and you are in the reproductive years, make sure you’re using prevention. For professionals, I think it’s imperative that they understand the condition. Because there’s so many other conditions that flow on from prenatal alcohol exposure. Recently a Canadian researcher found that there were 430, I think, conditions other than the primary brain injury that can be caused by prenatal alcohol exposure and that includes heart, kidneys, skeleton, vision, hearing. All of those things can be tied in to prenatal alcohol exposure. So if somebody is diagnosed with FASD, than they really need to have a full physical worker.
For physicians who have patients who are of a reproductive age or any patients, I think its important that they tell them at every meeting, at every consultation about the damage that alcohol can do in pregnancy. Because I hear a lot of comments from parents who say that their Doctor was very reluctant to talk about FASD with them. They knew their child had the condition. They had confirmed prenatal exposure, they knew that the child was exposed. The child was exhibiting all of the behaviours that’s consistent with the condition. But the Doctor just seemed to be very concerned about bringing it up. Concerned that they’d stigmatize the child and concerned about how mum and dad would cope with the news.
I’m a birth parent, and yes you are right it is horrendous news to know that you’ve, to find out that you’ve physically harmed your child. But all we want is what’s best for the child, and that is a diagnosis and that support and that’s a doctor understanding the condition or if they don’t understand, find out.
All of those things are critical for us. And we are always hoping as patients that our doctors want the same thing that we want. And that’s for a child not to be harmed by a preventable disability. Because basically I gave birth to two children who are completely normal. Who had the chance of a life just like everybody else. And I created this disability for them. You know it didn’t have to happen it was preventable. So any professionals hearing this please find out as much as you can about the condition because it’s the only way we going to move forward.