THUNDER BAY — Dozens gathered at Waverley Park on Monday to recognize fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
Judy Kay, an FASD worker for Children’s Centre of Thunder Bay, said the gathering at Waverley Park is for the FASD Awareness Day.
Kay said the FASD walks are happening all around the world, and it’s a global movement.
“I work for the Children's Centre of Thunder Bay. I work with children, youth and their families who are impacted by FASD. I provide support for the caregivers, training, and education, and I support the children in schools.
“It's kind of like a wraparound system of support for people with FASD."
People with FASD can do very well with the right support at the right time, Kay said.
“The national theme this year is ‘everybody plays a part.’ No role is too big or too small.
“Everyone can play a role to support women to have a healthier pregnancy, and everybody can support people who are living with FASD to give them a better chance at their success,” she said.
FASD Awareness Day started in 1999, Kay said.
“It was started by three parents, two from Canada, one from the United States and it's meant to signify September 9th – the ninth month of the ninth day of the ninth hour.
“Since they started FASD Awareness Day, going forward, RJ (Formanek) started to bring in the concept of red shoes, meaning giving power to people with FASD, giving them a place in society and supporting them to be successful in life.”
RJ Formanek, FASD advocate, said when he was a child, they only had black or white runners.
“When I saw my first pair of red (shoes) as a kid, I wanted them. As an adult, I finally found a pair, and this was right after my diagnosis at 47.
“I'd lived an entire life without knowing what was really going on in my brain, and it was just something about the shoes that spoke to me.
"Red is the colour of fire, is the colour of passion, and I knew that at that time, there was a lot of stigma and disinformation about FASD, and I knew that that wasn't me.
Formanek said he had to find a way to express himself, and so he started wearing his red shoes.
“When you get down to it, FASD isn't about the syndrome. It's about the people who live with it, the people who support us and the people who love us,” he said.
For more information on FASD, visit the website.
