life journey winnipeg

Walking together

For nearly two decades, this Manitoba organization has been helping people with FASD build a life they’re proud of

Rosetta Bignell’s life used to be very different from how it is now — and looking back, she’s proud of how far she’s come.

Growing up, Bignell describes herself as “a bad kid.” She had challenges at school. She threatened staff at her group home after being taken into child and family services for a few years beginning at age 12. She tried to run away.

It was also around that time she was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (also known as FASD), which affects the brain and body of a person exposed to alcohol in the womb. Its effects vary, but commonly include difficulties with things like impulsivity and understanding consequences, the Canada FASD Research Network says .

After Bignell was diagnosed, she says she started seeing a therapist, but her challenges continued.

Eventually, she was drinking almost daily and getting into trouble with the law. She developed Type 2 diabetes and became a heavy smoker. Bignell dropped out of school in Grade 10 and then, at 23, had a baby who relatives stepped in to raise.

She also struggled with anxiety, which people with FASD have an increased risk of developing, the Canada FASD Research Network says.

“I didn’t get the help I needed, that I wanted,” says Bignell, now 41.

Safe place to call home

But in her late 20s, her path changed when she connected with Life’s Journey, a Manitoba organization that works with people who have neurodiversities including FASD and autism spectrum disorder.

Because of challenges recognizing and diagnosing FASD, it’s hard to know exactly how many people in Canada have it.

The most recent data available from Health Canada estimates in 2019 the rate was about 0.1 per cent among children and youth, but much higher — 1.2 per cent — for Indigenous people in that age group living off reserve.

And while those numbers include the vast majority of kids and youth, they don’t include those living on reserves, in foster homes or in institutions.

The FASD research network says the actual prevalence rate across all age groups in Canada is likely closer to four per cent of the population .

Over time, Bignell built relationships with staff at Life’s Journey, who listened as she talked about her life and helped her learn how she could approach its challenges.

She also moved to Winnipeg from her home on Opaskwayak Cree Nation — a community about 520 kilometres northwest of the city — after the organization found her a place to stay through its residential program, which Bignell has now been using for over a decade.

Of the handful of homes she’s lived in, the south Winnipeg house she’s in now is her favourite. It’s quiet; a safe place to call home.

In the summer, she tends to tomatoes and squash in the backyard garden, which helps keep her mind at ease. Residential support mentors are on shift most of the day to help Bignell and her roommate with things like getting to appointments and remembering to take medication.

Those kinds of tasks — which involve organization and planning ahead, or remembering how to do something, even if it’s been done before — are also among the challenges people with FASD can face.

Roughly 275 people use some kind of supported housing through Life’s Journey. Most participants’ rental costs are covered through provincial income support programs, though a few people pay rent adjusted to their income.

Bignell says she’s a different person now: more careful and caring, better at getting to the bottom of what she’s feeling and finding ways to cope.

And thanks to the help she’s gotten with planning balanced meals and setting exercise goals — reminders for which are stuck on the kitchen fridge — she’s also healthier.

Two years ago, she was able to stop taking medication for her diabetes. Before that, she quit smoking. It’s been even longer since the last time she drank. Now she’s focused on online classes she’s taking through an adult learning centre.

It’s a transformation she says would probably surprise her younger self.

“I’m much happier anyways, [than] what I was from before — much happier with my life,” she says. “I like me now. I love me more.”

Offering support, ‘no matter what that looks like’

Life’s Journey opened in 2005 to support people with FASD, including those transitioning from child and family services. The organization is also known as Miikana Pimatiziwin — a combination of Ojibway and Cree words that together mean “path to the good life” — and has expanded to offer housing, wellness and outreach support and Indigenous cultural services like drumming groups and ceremonies.

Its spectrum and rural connections programs also provide support for people with an FASD diagnosis — or a social history consistent with one — who aren’t eligible for government programs.

Today, roughly 585 people use the organization’s programs across Winnipeg, the southwestern Manitoba city of Brandon and the southeastern city of Steinbach. Participants don’t need a full diagnosis to access its services.

And because the effects of conditions like FASD vary so widely, so do the experiences of each person.

Some have challenges with executive functioning, including organizing their thoughts or performing daily tasks. Many struggle to do things like budget money. Others contend with issues like homelessness, addictions or involvement with the justice system, says Nicole Cruickshank, who runs an outreach program at the organization.

But whatever circumstance a person is in, the goal is always the same: meet people exactly where they are and help them get to where they want to be.

“We really try to make sure that people understand that we’re here to support them, no matter what that looks like,” Cruickshank says.

For some participants, that support comes through Indigenous spiritual care services, which can be the first time they’re able to connect with their culture.

About 80 per cent of the organization’s participants are Indigenous, and many were separated from their biological family by the child welfare system, says Debbie Cielen — the nookomis, or grandmother — who runs the Indigenous spiritual care services department.

In Manitoba, about 90 per cent of the roughly 10,000 kids in care are Indigenous. One 2014 study suggests kids with FASD could make up a disproportionate percentage of those in care in the province.

Cielen, whose spirit name is Mino Gaagii Kido Mikinak, or Good Talking Turtle, says part of her work is also to build trust and create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing what they’re going through, even — and especially — if it’s something difficult.

She says it’s crucial “that participants not be afraid to tell us that they’re struggling, and that they’re not perfect and that things are gonna happen.”

“They’re learning, just like all of us.”

Building trust

David Fehr was taken into the child welfare system at age six and diagnosed with FASD a few years later.

Fehr, whose biological mom is from Sandy Bay Ojibway First Nation, says he’s been able to connect with his culture over the last few years through Life’s Journey. He participated in ceremonies and was given a spirit name: Strong Talking Wolf, or Zoongde’e Gaagii Kido Ma’iingan.

But that relationship took time to build.

By the time he connected with the organization in Winnipeg a little over a decade ago, he felt like he’d had to fight his way through life, from being picked on at school, to bouncing between a dozen foster homes in a year after being apprehended, to being homeless after aging out of the child welfare system.

“Nobody knew how to deal with me,” says Fehr, now 32.

“It was mainly the anger and just wanting to know more about it. Like, I got diagnosed with something … not even knowing what it was.”

He had also learned to be wary of his tendency to trust people, which got him in trouble more than once — including an incident where he ended up in jail after getting caught up with the wrong person and breaking into a house.

On top of having challenges with impulsivity and understanding consequences, people with FASD can often have difficulty with judgment, which the Canada FASD Research Network says can increase a person’s risk for involvement with the justice system if their circumstances aren’t understood and addressed.

Fehr says he started drinking to cope with his feelings, a habit that partly contributed to repeated stints in jail over a couple of years. But for Fehr, jail was also something he could rely on for meals and a schedule.

Outreach head Cruickshank says identifying the root causes of people’s challenges — and figuring out which purpose their behaviours or habits are serving in their lives — is key to helping them uncover their priorities and what’s really important to them.

“It’s [about] kind of digging through that to find out what that is, and really trying to nurture that to help that grow,” she says.

As Fehr started to uncover those priorities for himself, he says his life changed. He got back on his feet following his last release from jail a few years ago, and reconnected with his biological mom and sisters. He found work through Life’s Journey, helping with maintenance and cultural programming. More recently, he stopped drinking.

“Just talking one-on-one with people, I found, was the biggest coping mechanism,” he says.

Access through understanding

Sometimes people with FASD only get connected with needed support once they’re already involved with the justice system. In a way, it’s their last chance once every other mechanism in society has failed, Cruickshank says.

But there are also challenges connecting people with support before it gets to that point, she says. Many don’t have a clear understanding of the resources available for people with FASD or how to navigate social services.

There’s also still stigma around FASD, particularly for mothers — which makes some hesitant to seek an assessment for their children. And alcohol use during pregnancy itself isn’t actually the problem, Cruickshank says, but a symptom of larger issues like trauma and addiction.

“It’s really unfortunate, because it provides a barrier … to receiving that diagnosis and receiving treatment,” Cruickshank says. “But historically, we don’t treat the mothers very well when they do come forward.”

And that treatment rooted in understanding and non-judgmental support can make all the difference.

For Bignell, it’s helped her get to a point where she’s working on her education with the hope of one day finding a job and supporting herself.

For Fehr, it’s meant reconnecting with his family — including newly found nieces and nephews — and thinking about what he might like to do next, like going to school to become a support worker.

“This way I can reach out [with] my story, maybe, to somebody else,” he says.

“I want to help people, is what it comes down to.”

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Sara Kreindler, a professor of community health sciences at the University of Manitoba, spearheads the show, drawing from her extensive research.

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“I spent eight years as an embedded researcher with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, and the greatest compliment I got is when a CEO introduced me as their greatest support and toughest critic. And that’s how I saw my role.”

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“The musical shows the point that I’d gotten to with having a discussion in this echo chamber with policymakers. It’s nice that the policymakers were meeting with me, but if they’re not talking to the public and we’re not all at the table, this problem isn’t going to get solved,” Kreindler says.

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Chris Paul said he isn’t retiring, but is there any future with the Warriors?

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Chris Paul is 11 hours from his 19th NBA season ending. He’s less than a month from turning 39. He takes a seat in the third row of Golden 1 Center after the Golden State Warriors’ morning shootaround in Sacramento. Later that night, the Sacramento Kings blow them out 118-94, an elimination that also throws into question Paul’s immediate future.

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But this much is clear: Paul is not retiring. He will play a 20th NBA season somewhere.

“I’ll talk to my wife and my kids, my family, my support system, see what it looks like,” Paul told The Athletic . “But this isn’t (the end of my career). I know it for sure.”

Paul remains under contract for the Warriors next season, but there’s a necessary caveat. All $30 million of his deal is non-guaranteed. Part of the Warriors’ reasoning behind the Jordan Poole for Paul trade last offseason was the financial flexibility it would provide this summer. The Warriors can use it as a trade vehicle or wipe all $30 million off the books before it guarantees on June 28.

Those options and decisions will be explored in the coming weeks. But Joe Lacob and the Warriors’ ownership group have already indicated a desire to avoid the second apron and even duck the luxury tax entirely, resetting the repeater clock. Salary slashing is needed for that goal. Tuesday’s elimination — capping a turbulent 46-win season that finished with the 10th seed and zero playoff home dates — would only seem to accelerate that desire for a financial pullback.

So Paul’s future with the Warriors is as uncertain (and perhaps more unlikely) than any other player who left the locker room late Tuesday night.

“I haven’t thought about it,” Paul said. “I’m too in it. I was in the gym at 8 a.m. this morning, lifting and getting ready for this game. When it’s time for that, Mike (Dunleavy) and Steve (Kerr), we’ll have a conversation and see what it looks like. But I loved it. It’s honestly — this is my fifth year living without my family — I probably saw them more than any other year.”

That’s because of the proximity to Los Angeles, but also because of Kerr’s open culture. Families are welcomed into the interior of the Warriors’ building and around the team more than is typical in the NBA.

“That’s probably what I appreciated the most out of everything is just the communication of letting me know when days are going to be off,” Paul said. “Then your family can fly on the team plane like, I ain’t seen that. I’m grateful to Steve for that.”

When Paul went searching for a temporary place to stay in San Francisco after the trade, his wife helped him find a high-rise. Soon after moving into it, he discovered another notable tenant lived a floor below. He had moved into Draymond Green ’s building.

“Luckily it’s nice enough that you can’t hear the person below,” Paul said.

Paul’s inner circle showed varying forms of shock and apprehension after he joined the Warriors, his heated conference rival the previous decade. There’d been so many competitive dust-ups and heated playoff nights between the sides. But Paul embraced it quickly, believing in the shared traits between the sides.

“I didn’t expect it to be bad,” Paul said. “When the trade happened, I was excited, I was energized. It’s been really cool to see all the basketball knowledge, the way different guys approach every day. When people ask about my experience here, I tell them I sort of got a chance to peek behind the curtain.”

The Warriors faced the Utah Jazz at home on a Sunday toward the end of the season. They faced the Lakers on Tuesday in Los Angeles. After the Utah game, Paul, Green and Klay Thompson — who all have homes in L.A. — chartered a plane down a day before the team. Trevor Ariza happened to be in town. Paul told Ariza to hop on their plane.

Ariza was a part of those Houston Rockets teams that the Warriors eliminated in the Western Conference finals twice. He knows how heated the rivalry became between Paul and the Warriors, how much Paul stewed over the losses, and how the Warriors taunted after the wins.

“He was sitting in the plane like, ‘Man, I would have never thought. …'” Paul said. “‘I would’ve never thought we’d all be on here together.'”

Paul and Green didn’t envision it, but they embraced it once it arrived on their doorstep. Literally. Green took the elevator a floor up and went over to Paul’s house on several occasions throughout the season, watching other NBA games, college, NFL — talking basketball schematics, life, family, kids, future.

“I’m thankful and honored, happy as hell I got the opportunity to play with him this year,” Green said. “It’s not something in a million years we ever imagined. Other than winning, it couldn’t have gone better. Built a relationship that’ll go beyond whether he’s here next year or not and whether I’m here next year or not. I haven’t come across many, if any, guys like him.”

Paul also built a relationship with Thompson. Paul accepted a reserve role in the third game of the season, coming off the bench for the first time in his 19-year career, a move that Kerr said sent a message to the rest of the roster about sacrifice. Thompson accepted a bench role in February for the first time in more than a decade. The two then connected a second-unit duo. Kerr tied their minutes together.

Paul told Thompson several times throughout the season that he’d get on his boat for a ride across the San Francisco Bay. They had to cancel once because of bad weather. This past week, before the last game of the regular season, Paul and Moses Moody rode across the water with Thompson to the game.

“Really cool,” Paul said. “It’s always going to be a little choppy when you get to the deep water, but…”

Then Paul went bigger picture.

“I got so many (former teammates) in my career that, like, I have no relationship with,” Paul said. “Don’t really care to or anything like that. Or people who don’t like me or whatever. That don’t keep me up at night. But I’m grateful that I got a chance to be here with these guys. Me and Steph were already connected. Me and Dray definitely, you know, got a real connection now. And somebody I’m grateful that I really got a chance to know is Klay.”

Paul understands the business better than just about any other current player. He knows his contract setup, the Warriors’ tax crunch and will be in on the conversations that dictate his 2024-25 NBA home. Some paths could theoretically bring him back on a cheaper deal. He says he loved his time with the Warriors on a personal level.

But there’s the basketball side that also complicates the equation. Paul isn’t necessarily ready to just accept a lower-usage backup point guard role for the final seasons of his career. He remains of the belief that he can still run a team on a high-minute basis. Paul averaged 26.4 minutes per game this season. He’d been at 32 the last couple of seasons and averaged 34.6 for his career, never dipping below 31. All his counting stats were career-lows.

“I try to do the most with the opportunity that was given,” Paul said. “For me, it’s always been about winning, whatever that looks like. But I know I got a lot more to give to the game. The situation is what it is. But I’ve loved every bit about (this season). I’ve loved every bit of it. Getting a chance to compete with these guys.”

As the Warriors shifted around the rotation repeatedly this season, Paul fit perfectly as Stephen Curry ’s backup point guard. They performed better as a team without Curry than they had in several seasons. But Kerr struggled to find usable lineups with both Curry and Paul on the floor because of the size disadvantage, especially with Thompson also out there.

“It’s a difficult situation for him that he handled beautifully,” Kerr said. “He’s always been the starting point guard for his team. But you look at our team and we’re pretty small. Even though he’s one of our best players, if we want to throw our best players out there — and he’s one of them — you start adding up Chris, Steph, Klay, it’s not the ideal roster for him.

“But he was fantastic for us because he became our backup point guard. As I’ve said many times, our non-Steph minutes were the best they’ve ever been because of Chris’ leadership.”

Not the ideal roster for him . That’s the subsection of that Kerr quote that probably hits the hardest. Paul, on a reasonable deal, still makes plenty of sense for the Warriors as a backup point guard to stabilize them with Curry out. But he still desires more and his on-court impact and production and market could justify that, making a reunion unlikely.

“You saw tonight, (the Kings’) size and physicality overwhelmed us,” Kerr said. “When you look at the combinations that we have out there, it usually kind of separates Steph and Chris and Klay. So there’s not as many minutes as Chris would like.

“But the way he handled it this season was incredible. He’s so professional. Such a great mentor for the younger guys. One of the great pros I’ve ever been around. I love coaching Chris and I really hope we bring him back.”

(Top photo: Sean M. Haffey / NBAE via Getty Images)

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Anthony Slater is a senior writer covering the Golden State Warriors for The Athletic. He's covered the NBA for a decade. Previously, he reported on the Oklahoma City Thunder for The Oklahoman. Follow Anthony on Twitter @ anthonyVslater

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