When Jessica Birch says "make or break" she really means it.
If these accommodations aren't made, she could be in bed for days recovering.
The 34-year-old has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), a lifelong, permanent and debilitating disorder which is caused when alcohol crosses the placenta to the developing baby during pregnancy.
Jessica's many symptoms include chronic fatigue, a sleep disorder, heart rate, digestion, and sweat glands that function erratically and problems with her autonomic nervous system. But the reality of what that actually looks like in everyday life, is where people struggle to understand
"I need a lot of brainpower to perform basic tasks. If someone is trying to speak to me while I am making a coffee, for example, it becomes very difficult to make the coffee. I can't respond to someone and process what they are saying, if I am doing something else," Jessica explained.
"I can't drink water from a water bottle and walk at the same time. Sometimes it may take 20 seconds for me to actually register what is being said to me," she added.
