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.

I’m having trouble with OCD, but Dare To Dream is almost here!

Posted on May 8, 2012 by KatieD

The other day was a really rough one for me. Finals are coming up for me, and I am super stressed. I have a lot to do in between now and then. My OCD acted up badly today, and I honestly thought there was no hope for me. Thankfully, with my amazing roommate and a close friend of mine, I was able to overcome it.

It was hard, and it took eight hours (it’s now three in the morning, but hey, its gone!), but I’m finally feeling better. I read a post by this girl RuthieP and it made me feel a little better, knowing that I’m not the only one living with these problems.

I am so excited for May 21. I am going to be talking at the Dare To Dream Student Leadership Conference at Rutgers University with people who have OCD, Tourette Syndrome, ADD, ADHD, high-functioning Asperger’s, etc. and letting them know about myself. I honestly cannot wait!

Finally, I will be meeting people who have what I have. It’s going to feel just like home, I honestly cannot wait. If anyone would like to know about it, please e-mail me at delaneyk3@mail.montclair.edu. I would love it if you would come. It will be an incredible experience, and I hope to share it will you all!

You can also sign up for Dare To Dream here. And you can read much more about Dare To Dream, including my participation in it, by reading the following stories from NJCTS:

Pediatric residents learn more about Tourette Syndrome from teens

Posted on April 13, 2012 by Teens4TS

Drew Friedrich and Sarah Ethridge had a lot to say at the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome’s patient-centered training April 9 at Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, N.J. And the pediatric residents to whom they spoke absorbed every word they spoke.

The packed room of pediatric residents learned more about Tourette Syndrome in 1 hour than they did during their entire time in medical school or during on-the-job experience. NJCTS’ patient-centered trainings are, simply put, THAT effective. But don’t take our word for it. Listen to what the chief pediatric resident had to say:

“I didn’t realize that you could actually suppress the impulses of the tics. That was interesting information for me,” said Angela Mukherjee, the chief pediatric resident at Goryeb. “I think we got a really good insight into how Tourette affects children on a daily basis and the struggles that they encounter. In the textbook, we learned what Tourette is and how to treat it, but it’s different in person. It was great. It was really educational.”

NJCTS’ story about the training can be read by clicking here, but we at Teens4TS would like to provide you with some exclusive behind-the-scenes quotes and information! Continue reading →

Scholarship video recaps awesome 2011 Mendham Walk

Posted on April 6, 2012 by TJS

Hey everyone, I have applied for the 2012 NJCTS Children’s Scholarship, and as part of that process, I had to put together a video that shows how I am involved with Tourette Syndrome.

My cousin, Emily, founded the New Jersey Walks for TS event in Mendham in 2010 — along with the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome — as a way to raise awareness for the disorder that I was diagnosed with as a kid.

Here is my video presentation of the 2011 event, which was even better than the original. We are hoping to do another walk this year, too. I hope you enjoy the video! I was a lot of fun to make. And here’s another video of me talking about this blog and other Tourette-related things.

I would love to get a question-and-answer session going on this blog regarding TS, the Mendham Walk, the scholarship video and whatever else. I want to hear from you!

NOTE: The application deadline for the 2012 NJCTS Children’s Scholarship was April 5. For more information, please visit www.njcts.org.

Chatham teen named a 2012 TSA Youth Ambassador

Posted on April 4, 2012 by Teens4TS

Each year, the Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) selects about 125 teenagers from around the country – both with and without TS – to become youth ambassadors for the disease. This year, one of New Jersey’s representatives is from Chatham.

Sarah Ethridge, 14, will travel to Washington, D.C. on April 18 and 19 to go through TSA’s Youth Ambassador Training Program. The Chatham High School student submitted an application and essay about her motivation, and is very excited to be a part of the program that produced one of this blog’s regular contributors, Emily Fleischman, in 2010.

Once she completes her training, Ethridge will return to New Jersey and visit classes, schools and clubs to teach other local children about TS and encourage tolerance and sensitivity to the syndrome. Continue reading →