Sisters living with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Skylar and Cassie More are sisters from the same birth mother who were adopted 12 years agoalongside their brother Jacob. All three children werediagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD, which isestimated to affect up to four per centof Canadians and potentially hundreds of thousands of people in Ontario.Skylarand Cassie agreed to write about what FASD is likein their own words.

Skylar, age 18:

I'm Sky and I am living with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. You can't see it and I can fool youfor a bit, but once you get to know me, you will see it.

I got FASD because my birth mom drank alcohol when I was in her tummy. I don't blame her, she just didn't know. She was 16 years oldand didn't really know my birth dad. She was on her own, and did the best she could. Her mom and dad did a lot of drinking, so she did, too.

The Children's Aid Society took me and my younger sister from her when I was four after our apartment caught on fire and wewere home alone. I lived in a foster home for a couple years with nine other people before my momand dad adopted me and my sister.

School has always been hard. I was tested in Grade 1and in Grade3because I wasn't learninghow to read and do math. My school gave me extra help and eventually I learned how to read.

When I got to Grade 9, things got bad. I couldn't handle all the drama and I started running away. I washanging out with kids who weren't good for me and the police got involved. Eventually, my mom, dad and I went to the right doctors and we figured out I had FASD.

I changed schools and got involved with my local 4-H club. My mom and dad got me the help I needed, my new school figured out what I needed to learn, and my Beef Club leaders kept pushing me to do better and not let me make excuses.

Life is better now. I graduated from high school last year, have a part-time job with a boss whoappreciates how hard I work, got my driver's licence after lots and lots of practise, and have gone to theRoyal Fair the last three years showing my cows. I am trying to get into college to learn how to workwith animals.

Cassie, age 17:

Hi, I'm Cassie and like my sister, I am living with FASD. It doesn't really bother me because I havealways lived with it and that is not going to change.

I don't remember much from before I was adopted other than being scared a lot. But that doesn't reallybother me either. What bothers me is when people are mean.

I can read but it is hard. I don't know if I will get my driver's licence because there is a lot to learn. I don't take the busbecause the maps are too hard to figure out. My mom or dad will take me towhere I need to go.

I am working in the local bakery and they are selling my creations now. My boss is great because shealways makes sure I can see how to do it and talks me through what to do. We are getting a special cashregisterso I can help her there as well.

I'm hoping to graduate from high school this year but I'm not sure what I will do after that. I might go tocollege forbaking, but that would mean living by myself and that isscary to me.

FASD also affected my hearing. I have had four surgeries to try torepair my eardrum and the poordoctor was so frustrated. He kept saying he has never had to do more than one surgery with anyone else.The hole in my eardrum makes it hard to hear what people are saying.

I know I might be living with my mom and dad for a while, but I hope at some pointto have my own family.

Some people tell me"I'm sorry" when they learn I am living with FASD, but I don't understand why theysay that. It does make things hard, but I have a good life.

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