September 11, 2009
Awareness key in FASD struggle
Matthew Claxton, Langley Advance
It was nine minutes after nine o'clock, on the ninth day of the ninth month that bells rang in Langley City to mark Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) awareness day.
The day and time were chosen to symbolize the most important time for mothers to abstain from drinking alcohol: the nine months of pregnancy.
As several speakers mentioned, women should also abstain when trying to become pregnant and while breast feeding to avoid FASD affecting their children.
Parents, grandparents, children and support workers walked to promote FASD awareness on Wednesday.
FASD is a blanket term for a number of related conditions, of varying severity, all caused by exposure of a developing fetus to alcohol.
Alcohol damages the developing brain, and those with FASD may have learning disabilities all their lives. Common problems include difficulty with adding, subtracting and handling money, problems with thinking things through or learning from experience, and difficulty understanding the consequences of actions, getting along with others, and memory problems.
The Langley Centre for Child Development hosted the event, held in the foyer of Langley City Hall. Karen Janzen, whose title of key worker sums up how much she does for local families dealing with FASD, read a brief poem at the Wednesday event.
Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender, MLA Mary Polak, and MP Mark Warawa all attended.
Polak mentioned that her daughter's generation seems to take it for granted that everyone now knows not to drink when pregnant. "It's a message we need to keep hammering home," Polak said.
Warawa noted that FASD is the leading cause of disability in Canada. "We all need to work together," he said.
After the bell ringing and speeches, participants made a short walk through downtown Langley City bearing signs to raise awareness.
