Mates forever together inspired

Red Shoes Rock honors the FASD pioneers –
Elizabeth “Anne” Russell – Thank you!

 Courage is something that Elizabeth (Anne) Russell both has and inspires in others.

Anne doesn’t shy away from the truth about alcohol in pregnancy– it’s something she’s had to live with on a daily basis. — Professor Fiona Stanley

Professor Stanley continues, “Through her honesty, she has helped so many others. But while her contribution to families living with FASD is immeasurable, I think her most significant achievement is bringing her confronting message into the public arena where she has made so many people stop and ask the hard questions:
– What messages about alcohol are we giving to pregnant women?
– How as a society do we support women not to drink in pregnancy?
– What are the implications of the increase in alcohol abuse amongst teenage girls?
Awareness is the first step towards prevention.”

The first prevention video for mainstream Australians. Thanks to the Alaska Mental Health Trust for letting us use their format. Target audience 30 plus.

Anne is a birth mother of two children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

Anne Russell has a proven track record in advocacy and support for children with FASD and their families. Anne has accurately identified the complete absence of local intervention options and hopes to fill this gap by updating her successful first book with a second edition − Alcohol and Pregnancy: My Responsible Disturbance. The second edition is a combination of her first and second books and the culmination of living with FASD for 34 years and supporting other families for 16. I know it’s Anne’s goal to help people understand FASD through her own lived story and to raise awareness of FASD in Australia. — from Dr. Doug Shelton

Alcohol and Pregnancy: A Mother’s Responsible Disturbance (2nd Edition 2018)
by Elizabeth Russell (2005, 2018)

Intervention for children with FASD is a lifelong priority; the condition does not necessarily diminish when children reach adulthood. Parents and carers desperately need an Australian ‘How To’ guide that will map out a path forward and help them to plan a lifetime of intervention shifting the odds toward better outcomes. This book is that guide. Parents living with FASD reading this book will see similarities in their own situation through Anne’s and will be able to better advocate and support their own children by using strategies Anne has found helpful. If not Anne’s story then perhaps one of the other fourteen stories that are found in the latter half of the book. All will be helpful.
— Dr. Doug Sheldon

Alcohol and Pregnancy: No Blame – No Shame!
by Elizabeth Russell (2007)

These collective experiences are incredibly moving and very personal stories from individuals with FASD, their carers, parents and families, all struggling to cope in a society that has little understanding or awareness of their needs. They are stories that highlight the terrible personal and societal costs of alcohol exposure in pregnancy, the alarming lack of support from health professionals and the deficiency of resources in the community to adequately and appropriately meet the needs of individuals with FASD.

“You are not alone” could have been an alternate title of this book. Elizabeth ’s concern for the carers of fetal alcohol affected people lies beneath each page. Other titles that spring to mind are: “FASD a Survivor’s Guide” and “The Care and Management of a Person with FASD” or more brutally: “You are not a bad parent, your child has FASD”. All of these titles allude to Elizabeth ’s selfless commitment to promoting awareness, educating the community and assisting with the management of this disability.

Elizabeth however, has carefully chosen the title “No blame – No shame” to emphasise that a mother does not usually deliberately set out to harm her unborn child.  Elizabeth ’s pressing message to this book’s audience is that harm is occurring and that we as a society must understand why it is occurring and that we should blame alcohol, not pregnant women. — Sue Meirs, co-founder, NOFAS Australia

Strategies for Employment Services Specialists
by Elizabeth Russell (2008)

“This is an excellent book and the first of its kind in the whole world. Way to go, Anne.” — Jodee Kulp

On behalf of NESA, and the Employment Services industry I would like to sincerely express our thanks to Elizabeth Russell for her courage, honesty and willingness to share her journey of discovery with FASD in this wonderful book.  Many of the people who work in the Employment Services industry will find Elizabeth’s book an absolute revelation when relating back to certain experiences and frustrations with their clients. 
—Sally Sinclair CEO NESA (National Employment Services Association) 

“We understand that we cannot solve the problems related to prenatal alcohol exposure on our own. That’s why working in partnership with others is critical to achieving our goals. These relationships are a key part of the work we do around Australia and we are glad to have partners who understand the importance of this work.” — Anne Russell, Founder, rffada

Russell Family Fetal Alcohol Disorders Association  

YOU TUBE

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