Harrison’s Hope: Building a Lifespan Support System with Mary Byrnes

In this deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation, Patti is joined by Mary Byrnes, founder of Harrison’s Hope, a Canadian charity dedicated to supporting families living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Mary shares her "full circle" story—from navigating years of infertility and a whirlwind adoption process to discovering both her son’s and her own FASD diagnosis in adulthood. Together, they discuss the critical need for lifelong caregiver support, the power of reframing "behavior as a message," and the unique challenges of aging with a neurobehavioral disability. Key Discussion Points: Harrison’s Hope: How a project manager’s skill set turned a personal crisis into a national Canadian charity that provides "womb to tomb" support, including caregiver groups and death doula services. The Adult Diagnosis: Mary discusses the "ding-ding-ding" moment when she realized her own lifelong "quirks"—social awkwardness, academic success paired with social struggle, and various comorbid health conditions—were actually FASD. Behavior as a Messenger: A breakdown of how positive emotions validate met needs, while unpleasant emotions like anger or anxiety are signals of unmet needs. Aging with FASD: The importance of "anticipatory guides" for adults as they navigate physical health issues that often appear earlier in those with prenatal alcohol exposure. Planning for the Future: The emotional and practical necessity of creating Formal Wills, Living Trusts, and multi-generational care plans for loved ones with FASD. The Power of Art Therapy: Why traditional talk therapy often fails neurodivergent individuals and how modalities like art and nature walks provide a necessary emotional release. If you would like to reach Patti, you can email her at mailto:[email protected]. Visit her website at http://www.patriciakasper.com to learn more about her coaching and professional development training services, or visit ttps://http://calendly.com/kaspertrainingand... to schedule a complimentary call. If you would like to pick up a copy of Patti’s book, Sip by Sip: Candid Conversations with Adults Living with FASD, visit http://www.books.by/yourfasdcoach or Amazon. (Both print on demand, but due to lower overhead costs, http://books.by is able to pay its authors a few more dollars in royalties.) As always, please like, share & subscribe to this podcast, as doing these three things will help more people discover it, and learn if FASD is also part of their journey.