Part of Me

    There are times in everyone's life who has TS or any other disorder that is lesser-known and/or publicly visible, when one is faced with having to fend off ignorant comments or actions. I've been fortunate enough not to encounter many of these moments, but that doesn't make it any less hurtful. On one such occasion I had a run-in with a professor, in college, who thought that because I had asked for an extension on an assignment that I was using my disorder as an excuse. Before that I could never imagine a professor being so cruel and it took a while to get past it. I don't know about the rest of you out there who live with TS, but to me, it was one of the highest insults.
    What is my point in telling you this story? Well, last week I gave a brief description on what Tourette Syndrome is and got a lot of readership from it, so I thought I would follow up a bit. I don't believe people without TS and even some who have it realize what an integral part of your life it becomes. It becomes so much a part of you that, at times, you may not even notice light ticcing. You may not even notice others who are ticcing around you, because to you it's as normal as sneezing. Just like a sneeze it can be troublesome, but that doesn't mean it is the bane of your existence. Those of us who are born with it usually learn to look at the world with a different eye. Hopefully, in most cases, it is with a deeper perception and a big heart.
    I live with TS every day and every night. I would be a different person were it not for my TS. I'm not cursed or "doomed" to live a life with TS. I am blessed to have been given an open heart for people who are not the same as me and the ability to look at people with a more unbiased discernment - a difficult task in today's untrusting society. To get a deeper look at what TS is and looks like, take a look at this excerpt from HBO's I Have Tourettes, But Tourettes Doesn't Have Me.

This second photo is courtesy of Jackie Ruth Gold.