At the age of 28 Tisha cannot remember things she has to do. Unlike her peers, she cannot read or write – and thinks everything costs R5.

She was born prematurely in 1996 in Cape Town and abandoned by her mother who was assumingly overwhelmed by the prospect of caring for a child diagnosed with Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). FAS is the most severe condition on the Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) spectrum, which are a range of permanent disabilities that occur in children born to women who consumed alcohol during pregnancy. 

Vivien Lourens, the founder of the Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Information Centre, who was a foster mom at the time, received a call from Child Welfare when Tisha was 10 weeks old. She tells Health-e News that Tisha was very small when she met her. She only weighed 1.6 kg – the average weight of a full term baby is 3.5 kg. 

“I decided to take her temporarily to the centre while we waited for her to be adopted. The centre could not find anyone to adopt her because of all her health complications. My husband and I decided to adopt her,” Lourens explains.

Samantha Adams, a clinic manager at The Pebbles Project explains that people with FAS face lifelong  physical and behavioural issues; others may also deal with confusion and memory loss. It is associated with intrauterine growth retardation [when the foetus doesn’t develop as expected], and physical abnormalities like heart defects, skeletal defects and renal system abnormalities. The most important fact about FAS is that it’s completely preventable. 

Adams says children with FAS often experience mental health issues which can lead to lower intelligence. 

“With these challenges they might have a tough time in school. They could face more difficulties later if they don’t get the right help and support at home. This might lead to [school] dropout, teenage pregnancy, struggles with relationships and may even get into trouble with the law,” she says.

Adams’ organisation runs prevention programmes in farming communities in the Western Cape. South Africa has some of the highest record rates of FASD in the world. In some communities, research done by the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR) has reported rates as high as 28%.     

“Our maternal health initiative provides education and support for maintaining a healthy pregnancy. One topic covered in the workshop is the impact of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. The women undergo antenatal screening to assess alcohol consumption  and pregnant women who drink are referred to social workers and extra home visits are scheduled for additional support,” Adams says. 

Dr Leana Olivier the CEO of FARR says in South Africa many women confirm their pregnancies when it’s already too late as a result of unplanned or surprise pregnancies. 

“These women might have exposed their unborn babies to alcohol, if they drink during this period. Even small amounts of alcohol can potentially harm the unborn baby,” says Olivier in a statement.

Lifelong care

“As soon as we adopted her, we heard from the social workers that her mother died as she was very ill. I never got a chance to meet with her. That is when I knew this was my miracle baby. Even though she did not have behavioural issues, we spent a lot of time at Red Cross Children’s Hospital where she received physical and occupational therapy,” she says. 

She says Tisha has had a myriad of health challenges.

“There was a time she had a hole in her heart, couldn’t stomach anything because of a reflux but with time these things healed on their own.” 

While she’s physically well, Tisha’s development has been severely stunted. 

“At the moment Tisha cannot read and write,” Lourens shares. “She can’t go anywhere on her own except when she goes to work once a week in a company where they do packaging, stationery and cake boxes,” Lourens.

“When we go shopping we try to buy the same brand so as to not confuse her. You also need to be very patient with her and always remind her of the things she needs to do,” she says.

Lourens says it has not been an easy journey but she had great support from family and friends. – Health-e News