May 15-June 15 is Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month

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Posted on May 15, 2012 by Teens4TS

Please join Teens4TS, the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome, the Tourette Syndrome Association and the hundreds of thousands of Americans with TS in celebrating Tourette Syndrome Awareness Month, May 15 to June 15.

Tourette Syndrome is a misdiagnosed, misunderstood neurological disorder that affects 1 in 100 people, especially teenagers. Marked by involuntary body movements and vocal sounds called tics, Tourette Syndrome affects more than 200,000 American families. Also affecting those families are the many associated conditions such as OCD, ADD, ADHD and anxiety.

So take a moment today, or at any time during this month, to show your support for those who have Tourette. There are scores of different ways to do that. Here are a few:

Leave a comment on one of these blog entries. The people that write them would love to talk with you about Tourette Syndrome.
Head to the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome website and check out the myriad programs and services offered for those with TS — not just in New Jersey, but around the United States and world, too.
Go to POPVOX and check out the pending TS legislations — H.R. 3760 and S. 2321 — and show your support for them by leaving a comment, which will be sent directly to your U.S. Congressman.
Head to the Definite Possibilities website, started by a teen with TS, and buy a Tourette Syndrome pin for just $6.
Want to take part in this blog personally? Send an e-mail to teens@njcts.org and ask to be a blog contributor.
Head over to the Teens4TS Facebook page and give us a “like.” Or, wander on over to our Twitter page and “follow” us.
Lastly, leave a comment on THIS blog entry and tell us about how Tourette Syndrome has impacted your life. We would love to hear your story.

My poetry: A trip down memory lane, part 2

Posted on May 15, 2012 by RowenaM

“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
~Nelson Mandela

I’ve decided to post a collection of all my poetry from Twitch and Jerk. I am starting at the beginning from when I founded TaJ. Here they are, in three parts. The first part is from the beginning through June 2011. The second part is July-December 2011. And the third part is January 2012 through now. I hope you enjoy them.

July 1, 2011:

Do not give up. Do not give in. We will not let fear win. You are stronger than you think you are. Your difference from the world will get you far. Achieving your goals to get to your dream. Your heart is bright golden beam. Believe you are special as of today. When there is a will, there is a way.

July 13, 2011:

You are beautiful. You are perfect just the way you are. Those who say differently don’t understand. You are unique, magnificent. You are a rainbow on a rainy day. Sunshine on a cloudy day. Breeze on a hot day. Warmth on a cold day. Who needs normal when the world has beautiful differences?

July 28, 2011:

Celebrate.
You are beautiful.
On the inside and the out.
Celebrate your growth. Continue reading →

People usually make my tics worse

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Jacquelynn

I’m almost 16 years old, and I have Tourette Syndrome. I don’t have it as severe as others, but it’s still highly noticeable to most of the people at my school. They are smart enough — I think — to know that tics are involuntary. Yet they still get a rise out of calling me out because of it, or even mocking me. No one at this school is understanding, not even the teachers.

Some of my tics are: Jerking my neck (like a fierce nod), rapid blinking/eye rolling, quickly tensing my stomach muscles and the releasing, or making a noise in the back of my throat (sounds like I’m either laughing kind of or saying ” hut ” – the more stressed/anxious I am, the louder it gets.)

I’m normal. I have “friends,” go out on the weekend, get boyfriends, do good in school, etc. — just like everyone else. They just choose to call me out on my tics. It’s extremely hard to find someone completely understanding/supportive of my Tourette at my school.

I wouldn’t wish TS on anyone, but sometimes I wish I had a best friend or a boyfriend who had it too, so they would be more understanding. I hate my tics. They make me extremely self-conscious — like I’m a freak. And people calling me “Bobble-Head” or “Twitchy Freak” doesn’t really help my self-esteem any, soooo…

My poetry: A trip down memory lane, part 1

Posted on May 11, 2012 by RowenaM

“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.”
~Nelson Mandela

November 6, 2010:

Hi everyone! I made up this poem. I hope you like it. I am smiling. I am dreaming. My future is gleaming. My heartbeat is cheering to the wonders I am steering. My life is full of love and joy. Like a girl getting her very first toy. Tears of happiness comfort me as the beauty of the world, I see.

November 18, 2010:

God is my truth, my savior, my dove. My family supports me, some from up above. Love is what I wish for but cannot have yet. There’s no need for money, for gambling, for bets. I want peace within the world that’s my home. I want to travel the world, Paris, London, Athens, Rome. I believe in what’s right to me and my heart. I do not want to judge those who differ in their part. My life is exactly like rain on a rose. My happiness is filled with abundance while my misery goes. Continue reading →

What is the definition of normal when you have Tourette Syndrome?

Posted on May 10, 2012 by EmmaO

Hey guys! I was just wondering what everyone’s definition of “normal” is. I personally think there is no such thing … I mean, you can say I’m not normal because I have Tourette Syndrome, but I could say you’re not normal because you have brown eyes, and I have blue ones. No one is normal … or maybe everyone is their own type of normal.

Dictionary.com describes normal as: conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.

It says “regular” and “natural” and conforming to the “standard or the common type” and “usual.” But what is usual? It’s just a synonym. And what is standard or common? Who gets to say what is normal? Maybe different things are normal in different environments, such as what is normal in a specific clique at school or a culture.

But what is normal overall? What is normal for ALL of the cliques and EVERY single culture? Apparently I’m not normal, because I have Tourette, but doesn’t everyone have a little something? Maybe I’m normal and you’re not. Normal may speak as what the majority of the population does or thinks, but wouldn’t that just be popular? Continue reading →