At her 20-week sonogram, Ari finds out she’s going to have a daughter. (MARC LESTER — Anchorage Daily News) August 29, 2013 At her 20-week sonogram, Ari finds out she’s going to have a daughter. Afterward, she texts the news to the baby’s father. She doesn’t really have an ongoing relationship with him, she said, […]
Why Kellen is a Muslim
August 22, 2013 Kellen recently converted to Islam and now prays toward Mecca five times a day. While the rest of the family attends a Methodist church downtown, Carol accepted Kellen’s conversion without judgment or […]
Simone looks for work
August 20, 2013 Will picks up liquor bottles in the bushes along the side of the house. No one in the household seems to know where they’re coming from. Will says he’s concerned they set a bad example for the young kids at the house.
Simone, 20, dresses for a job interview. She has trouble keeping jobs, but today she’s back on the hunt. In 2013 alone, Simone had a string of jobs she was unable to keep. Her mom says Simone worked at a bagel shop for a few weeks until she failed to show up on a Saturday. […]
Ari Considers Her Pregnancy
Twenty-year-old Will Seward sips coffee. (MARC LESTER — Anchorage Daily News) August 7, 2013 Twenty-year-old Will Seward sips coffee at the start of his day. His mom, Carol, describes Will as kind and eager to please. She says he has occasionally struggled with mental health issues. In moments of crisis, he has heard voices telling […]
Meet the Family
Carol Hatch, 64, wanted to be a mom and provide care for children for as long as she can remember. She grew up in Seward and has Aleut heritage. In 1985, she moved to Anchorage and briefly taught kindergarten and second grade before quitting to care for foster children full time. Over the years, Carol […]
Carol Hatch steers six alcohol-damaged children into adulthood
Carol Hatch has six adopted children, now adults, who have each been diagnosed with a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. She has fostered dozens of others. (MARC LESTER — Anchorage Daily News) For a quarter-century, Carol Hatch has lived in a big brown house off Arctic Boulevard, raising a family not quite like any other in […]
Alcohol & Me: ‘It’s a human tragedy’
As a state senator 25 years ago, John Binkley filed a several bills to combat fetal alcohol syndrome in Alaska. His effort had a lasting impact in many ways. Now, teachers must undergo training on the disorders and every alcohol-serving establishment must post a warning to pregnant women. […]
‘I know I made a difference’: A report from the frontlines of Alaska’s fight against FASD
The Daily News will publish the next two installments of our ongoing fetal alcohol syndrome coverage on Saturday and Sunday, including a look at how, despite success in reducing rates across Alaska, the state has missed many opportunities to combat the disability. Among the people featured in the story is Ellen Sovalik of Barrow. […]
The Hatch Family
Can one mom’s devotion to her kids overcome lifelong FASD struggles? To the Daily News: I read with interest about the ADN project regarding alcohol and the tremendous influence it has on the people of Alaska. I would like to offer my family’s experience living with the effects of alcohol misuse. I am the adoptive […]