September 9, 2011 is the annual FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders) Awareness Day. All of the events revolve around the number 9, which is the number of months that a woman is usually pregnant. Internationally, there are events held at 9:09 a.m. which is the 9th minute of the 9th hour of the 9th day of the 9th month in the year. In some places church bells are rung. The message: ladies, do NOT drink alcohol while you are pregnant.
One-tenth of pregnant women don’t listen – they go ahead and drink alcohol anyway. And 40,000 babies are born each year in the United States with FASD. These babies may have physical, mental, behavioral and learning disabilities that affect them for a lifetime. There can also be speech and language disorders, mental retardation, ADD, depression and other health problems. All because Mom couldn’t put her baby before herself. Some refer to this as the 100% preventable problem.
There’s an FASD center here in Rapid City. One of the recent stories on the FASD South Dakota website told about a man named Hunter Sargent from neighboring Minnesota. This man endured all sorts of problems while he was growing up and no one ever quite knew what was wrong with him. Some thought he was retarded. Others thought he was ADD. Some thought he was autistic and some even thought he had Down’s Syndrome. He was raised by his grandmother who told him to never let anyone place limitations on him. She said, “Don’t ever be afraid of being you.” After she died, he went to live in foster care.
When he was 14 he saw a movie called "The Broken Cord," based on the 1989 book by Michael Dorris about a boy with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). He saw himself.
Sargent said, "I wasn't very happy, but at least I knew what I had."
At first he responded by drinking and smoking to cut the pain. But then he realized this wasn’t going to help a bit, and so he straightened up. He was the first one in his family to graduate from high school.
"You can either be a victim or a survivor," he said. "I chose to be a survivor."
Hunter will always need some assistance with his life skills, but he has done well, and he is happy with his life. He spoke recently at an FASD event.
FASD are more common than autism and Down syndrome combined. It’s important to spread the word, stop the inconsistent messages from some doctors and media, and pass along the slogan: 049. No drinks during the 9-months of pregnancy.
