My name is Ellen. I am mom to a boy/girl set of twins. Each of my children have Tourette Syndrome, but they are on different scales. My son, Ben, has had severe TS since age 6. My daughter has a mild form of TS. I am happy to say that both of them are in college now. But it has been a hard road to reach that goal.
As a family, we never let TS get in the way of most everything in life, whether it was a B’nai Mitzvahs, going to college or traveling. Around age 10, we took our kids out west to the national parks.
While on that trip, my son had the urge to climb up over the fences on cliffs, which meant we had to hold hands and be next to him at all times. He also would be shouting out animal sounds repetitively a nd at one point almost got hit by a truck while we were at a lookout of the gorgeous mountains. At times, he took a rest or nap since just the time difference knocked him for a loop. On arrival in Wyoming, he slept for 16 hours straight!
TS still makes life challening, but my son’s motivation and joy for life has domineered rather than his limits. He has had the determination and perserverance to be active, be an advocate for himself . I am amazed about both children’s accomplishments. My daughter has been supportive towards her brother whose needs sometimes took our energy away from her.
This is really great platform for forum posting. I think this is very good for us.
You did it! Congrats on the awesome kid raising! I have another decade to go. :)