Family members wait up for Simone. (MARC LESTER — Anchorage Daily News) March 26, 2014 Simone should be home by now. She planned to attend an 8 p.m. recovery group meeting. At 9:30, with the ribbons of sunlight that striped the kitchen disappearing into shadows, the family is worried. Simone has said she’s afraid she’ll […]
Leah, Simone and RJ at the job fair
March 19, 2014 Simone, Leah and RJ leave the house together on a clear day, walking to a job fair at the Egan Center downtown. Simone has graduated from Clitheroe Center, she says. She hopes to finish her last high school credits at Nine Star and graduate in June. Carol isn’t so sure […]
Simone phases up at Clitheroe
Leah looks for work at a job fair at the Egan Center. (MARC LESTER — Anchorage Daily News) December 19, 2013 Midway through her 90-day residential treatment at Clitheroe Center, Simone appears before a panel of counselors to try to “phase up,” meaning to advance to the second of three levels she’ll need to reach […]
Will reaches a milestone
September 24, 2013 Will celebrates his 21st birthday with a party at Chuck E. Cheese’s with his family, which has just finished singing “Happy Birthday.” The irony of choosing a kid-oriented arcade as the venue is intentional, Carol says. She wanted to plan something that stood in contrast to the way most people celebrate the […]
Leah’s academics, Simone’s relapse
August 29, 2013 Carol drops off items for daughter Leah Morgan-Carroll at her UAA dormitory. Leah began her first week of college classes this week. Her courses include Russian, English, math and photography. How important is it for you to explain to people that you have these FASD challenges? Leah: It just depends […]
Will takes charge of dinner
Will shops for the family. (MARC LESTER — Anchorage Daily News) August 27, 2013 Will’s day to cook for the family is Tuesday, and today he’s planning to make hamburgers and corn on the cob. He starts with a trip to Fred Meyer, accompanied by Beth Drew, his state-funded “direct service provider” from Northbridge, a […]
Ari’s Sonogram
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. […]