Greetings all
Late 2004 (yes 2004), I posted on youthgas
a request for information on behaviour, learning and health problems that are
common among adopted children/people, and those who were born prematurely. I
was writing the chapter: Pregnancy,
Adoption, FASD and Mental Illness, for
Penina Uliuli, a book on Contemporary Challenges in Mental Health for Pacific People -
see attachment. I am using this avenue as I think I’ve lost some
names/addresses who replied.
Thanks to all who responded to me, and my sincere apology I didn’t
acknowledge your replies and clarify an issue that upset an adopted member of youthgas. I was going through tough time and was in the
process of leaving my then job. In 2005 I studied full time and still
tried to respond to you but it was a busy year for me. On 9 Sept 2005 I fell ill – subarachnoid
haemorrhage (bleeding in the brain). I am recovering well but still slow
keeping up with reading, and writing – emails, study assignments etc.
I am sorry my request made someone angry, and I am
thankful to those who responded to the anger, giving me support. In hindsight,
the whole scenario was a blessing to what I was writing. It made me extra
cautious with what I wrote for Penina Uliuli. English is my second language, and for me to write
on a complex subject in English is very difficult. So thank you very much to
all who replied.
Background to my interest in Pregnancy, Adoption, FASD and Mental
Illness. During the 90s I was
part of a social worker team that facilitate local and inter country adoptions,
give information to people from past adoption, and education for prospective
adoptive parents. Reading
and listening to the international adoptive community opened my eyes to the
depth of adoption experiences – good, bad, joy, sad, losses, gains etc. I
also read somewhere that the problems common among adopted children are also
common among those who were born premature. I left the adoption job wondering
whether these problems common among these two groups of children/people,
have the same causal root.
I took up a health promotion community job that
included preventing alcohol and other drug abuse. Raising the awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) was included.
I joined a local and an international FASDAY Yahoo email networks of people
affected by FASD, parents and professionals working with FASD. About mid 2003 a
lot of information from outside and from within my own family came together in
a combination that made me realised that FASD is a significant root of the
problems common among adopted and those born prematurely.
I read http://www.motherisk.org/JFAS_documents/Corrrections_Screenings.pdf
and other sources which state that mental illness is among the
leading secondary disabilities of FASD. While dwelling on FASD and mental
illness etc., a colleague suggested I write something about
‘alcohol…and mental illness. I accepted the invitation and I
thought of consulting youthgas because I believed
that there must be a lot of relevant information there, hence my 2004 request
for information. Mid 2005 I sent off my final draft and about two months
later I fell ill.
I never want to repeat my illness, but I am very
thankful I’ve been through it because, what I learned re FASD, mental
illness etc coupled with my illness (brain bleeding) has given me insights on
mental disabilities/illness, and strengthens my passion to raise the
awareness and prevention of
FASD.
RE FASDAY: Since 1999, September 9 every year has
become a special International FASDAY – a FASD awareness day. It started
by three adopted parents with children affected by FASD, and through the power
of email and passionate hearts, the FASDAY network is growing. I hope we on youthgas
be interested in learning about FAS/D, and pick up the FASDAY tool and use it
to prevent FASD and support those living with FASD life problems.
Back to Penina Uliuli, it is available from:
·
The Uni of Hawaii
(see attachment)
·
amazon.com
·
China Books
2nd Floor, 234 Swanston
Street
Melbourne, Victoria, 3000
Australia
ph: 03-9663-8822
fx: 03-9663-8821
email: info@chinabooks.com.au
·
The Women’s
Bookshop
105 Ponsonby Road
Ponsonby
Auckland NZ
Ph: 64 9
3764399
Eml: books@womensbookshop.co.nz
Kind regards
Suia Simi
Auckland NZ
THANK YOU
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