Braided Cord: Tough Times In and Out

by Jodee Kulp, Karl Kulp, Liz Kulp

Overview

I was born an addict and ever since I was tiny I have overdone, overlooked or overwhelmed myself. I was born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, otherwise known as FASD. That means my mom drank while I was trying to grow in her stomach and because of her drinking some of my parts got mixed up and didn't grow too well. My differences are hidden and that's a real pain, because it is easy to judge a person by what you see. The most difficult parts of my life are caused from my brain which was probably the most affected. I have trouble learning new things and I live in a world that is louder, softer, harder, scratchier, noisier, shakier, slippery and more chaotic than most of the people reading this. I want you to imagine what it is like to feel the seams of your socks, the label on your clothes, the flicker of fluorescent lights, the mumblings and rumblings of every noise around you, and then try to learn new things. Overwhelming. Yes, that is what it is often for me. My mom's drinking ripped away who I was to be and helped create who I am today and what I am able to be. If she had known how it would change my life I bet she would have made a different choice. But she didn't, and we can't change how things are. I am as I am. I can't even talk to her about it. She's dead. I was a foster baby and then adopted. ... I had to fail first in order to succeed. And I failed over, and over, and over again. ... I am just one of hundreds of thousands of people whose lives are affect each year by alcohol consumption before breathing your first breath of air. For those of you who were not pickled before birth, who believe you are wiser than I am, I ask you to take my thoughts and use your brains to make a difference.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780984200719
Publisher:	Better Endings New Beginnings
Publication date:	03/01/2010
Pages:	322
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Liz Kulp, was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) as a young teen. Knowing her challenges and understanding her strengths helped her graduate from public high school and strive to move on to independent adulthood like her peers. But, she soon learned that life within the context of a family that understood and helped her gain the desire for independence had not prepared her to live in a world filled with predators and abstract thinking. Liz unashamedly lets readers inside the world of adult transition for many of our young people with FASD. It is a story you will not soon forget.