This is the essay I submitted to the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome & Associated Disorders (NJCTS) for their 2013 Children’s Scholarship Award contest. I hope you enjoy it! And here is my profile on the NJCTS website.
You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.
~ Brian Tracy
Twelve years ago, I would have never thought this quote could describe me so well. In fact, I remember a time in elementary school when Tourette got the best of me. I used to make very obnoxious and very random movements with my head and hands. I couldn’t control my own body. All I could do was accept it and wait it out. And if that wasn’t bad enough, kids in school laughed and made fun of me.
Another problem at the time was the fact that my parents had no idea what was wrong with me. My parents were very worried about me, and after my doctor visits didn’t help, I was taken to a neurologist and was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. I was given many different kinds of medications, and they eventually started to work.
In high school during my freshman year, I noticed that the rate in which I would have random impulses to move or make noises drastically dropped, and eventually I gained my life back and could focus much better. People eventually understood that I had Tourette, what that was and stopped making fun of me. I learned how to somewhat control my Tourette by accepting the fact that I have it and that, depending on my mood, it can be controlled.
Now that I’m graduating from high school and finished my senior year of varsity football and first year of varsity track, I plan to go to college. I’m currently focusing on a career at ITT Technical Institute for computer programming. I plan to start a few months after graduation. Even though I have Tourette, I feel very confident about my future, and although it might be challenging, I feel that I can succeed.
love the quote! good luck in ur career! :)