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2015 NJCTS Youth Scholarship Award Essay: “Pushing Through”

This is the essay I submitted to the NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome & Associated Disorders (NJCTS) for their 2015 Children’s Scholarship Award contest. I hope you enjoy it!

Meghan Ward photo

I was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome at seven. At the time, my brother was the one who had been diagnosed with Tourette, and he was having a difficult time coping with it. While we were following up with the doctor, my mother asked what my chances were of being diagnosed as well. The doctor said that, while I was sitting in my mother’s lap, “your daughter is ticcing right now”. Due the experience I had with my brother, I understood what was being said and did not have a bad reaction to being told I had Tourette. I, in turn, asked “if I was like Justin” and that I was happy Justin wasn’t alone. Dealing with my Tourette has been easier for me as I am on the more mild side of the spectrum.

In order to understand what my brother and I were dealing with, my family became more involved in the TS community. We were able to learn more about the disorder and about how it passes down genetically from the father. Being diagnosed with Tourette has brought closer together and we became more involved with the TS community. We would go to a camp that had other kids, just like us, who could learn more about each other and how TS had affected us differently. By going to this camp, it helped me realize that I wasn’t the only one who was different and that even celebrities could have disabilities and overcome the obstacles. The kids at the camp were taught to recognize our tics and became more aware of them in others.

Tourette has affected my school life both academically and socially. I’ve always had trouble concentrating in school. Knowing I have Tourette has helped me understand why I do the things I do and why I have difficulty staying still in my seat which made me focus on myself rather than the teachers. It has also made me more aware as well as defensive towards stereotypical remarks. I believe now that i am less likely to judge people by their mannerisms as I had been before.

A contribution my family was able to make to the TS community was being featured on a news program regarding Tourette Syndrome. By doing this news segment, we were able to help make people aware of the disorder, how it affects the child diagnosed, and the child’s family. This made me hopeful that people would be able to put a face to the syndrome.

Overall, being diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome has had positive and negative effects on my life. It has made me the person I am today; more aware of others disabilities and helping others who are in the same situation as I am. I have even volunteered on the First Aid Squad for my town. Tourette Syndrome is a part of my life and it makes me who I am.

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