{"id":345,"date":"2011-12-20T09:30:42","date_gmt":"2011-12-20T14:30:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/njcts.org\/tsparents\/?p=345"},"modified":"2011-12-20T09:30:42","modified_gmt":"2011-12-20T14:30:42","slug":"doing-the-mendham-walk-for-ts-out-of-self-pity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/njcts.org\/tsparents\/doing-the-mendham-walk-for-ts-out-of-self-pity\/","title":{"rendered":"Doing the Mendham Walk for TS out of self-pity"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>When we decided to do the New Jersey Walks For TS event Nov. 19 in Mendham as an extended family on behalf of Ethan, age 10, we had two goals in mind: We wanted to raise money for NJCTS<\/a><\/strong>, which had done so much to support us, and to show Ethan he\u2019s not alone in his struggle with TS.<\/p>\n

For the past few years, he\u2019s been caught in a cycle of \u201cPoor me, I have Tourette’s\u201d and \u201cIt stinks to be me\u201d\u00a0\u00a0victimhood.\u00a0\u00a0While these may be developmentally appropriate and normal stages along the course to acceptance, they are incompatible with any progress in therapy or getting at least a little control over the \u201ctics of the mind\u201d that consume our every waking minute.<\/p>\n

During the days leading up to the Mendham Walk, Ethan began checking the website<\/a><\/strong> on a daily basis to see how much money we had raised for the cause, and he began to ask questions such as what NJCTS uses the money for and why people even did walks in the first place.<\/p>\n

Not typically willing to talk about Tourette’s or his tics that are severe, he told his teacher about the walk and came home with unprecedented excitement one day announcing that we had to \u201ccheck the site right away because [he thought his teacher] had made a donation.\u201d<\/p>\n

When he saw his teacher\u2019s name on the list of contributors, you\u2019d have thought he saw President Obama\u2019s name or even Justin Bieber\u2019s — his exuberance was through the roof!! On the day of the walk, his best friend rode with us, and although not typically runners, the two of them ran the entire race without stopping.\u00a0Since the day of the Walk, Ethan has asked, \u201cMom, can so-and-so go to Mendham with us next year? He really wants to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Ethan is still far from empowered advocate, our participation in the Mendham Walk was a jolt for him out of victimhood and self-pity.\u00a0\u00a0It is a tremendous reminder that good comes from adversity.<\/p>\n

In those moments when he\u2019s feeling sorriest for himself and full of excuses, we now remind him how many people care about him, showed up to support him at the walk and made contributions in his name \u2014 and that the least he can do to pay it forward is fight a good fight against TS.<\/p>\n

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