Zoë defies the odds stacked against her by FASD

Zoë Alexander, 24, is determined not to let a foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) rob her of leading a full life.

On Monday September 9, International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day, Zoë spoke about the condition, at Rainbow of Hope, a Goodwood place of safety for vulnerable children.

At the event, Rainbow of Hope raised R1000 for the Foundation for Alcohol Related Research (FARR).

Zoë has neurobehavioural disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure as a result of her biological mother drinking alcohol while pregnant with her.

Rainbow of Hope’s project manager, Alison Alexander, said she had adopted Zoë when she was about two weeks old.

“Doctors and psychologists said she would never make it to high school because of the damage to her brain. She has defied all the odds stacked against her. Yes, it may be a lifelong disorder, but I do believe that we determine our own futures by the way we embrace it,” she said.

“Just because we are born into a family does not mean that family is good for us, but, at the right time, God will make a plan.”

FASD refers to several conditions that can result from alcohol exposure to a foetus during pregnancy. These conditions can impede development and lead to behavioural and learning difficulties.

A study by the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the American government, revealed, in March this year, an FASD prevalence in the Western Cape of 310 out of 1000 people, based on a study that took place from 2015 to 2022.

Zoë said it had been hard for her to grasp information quickly in school, but that had not deterred her from working to complete her schooling, and she was now enrolled at an adult-learning school in Mitchell's Plain to finish some of her matric subjects.

"For me to do school, like processing all of the information, I needed more time,” she said, adding that the condition had not affected her ability to socialise with her peers.

She said she had done some voluntary work with a non-profit organisation called Never In The Red from 2022 until last year, distributing sanitary pads to schools. She also runs Rainbow of Hope’s pop-up shop.

Zoë said she had struggled to control her anger when she was young but now had a better handle on her emotions.

Dr Leana Olivier, the chief executive of FARR, which is based in Bellville, said the R1000 raised by Rainbow of Hope would help a family in need at the organisation’s private diagnostic clinic.

“In the current economic situation in our country, NGOs often battle to keep the finances together. In the field that we are working in, namely the prevention of alcohol harm reduction and foetal alcohol spectrum disorders, it is especially difficult to do fund-raising as we often meet with people who are very judgemental towards women who have used alcohol during pregnancy,” she said.