I always try to be positive and tell myself never to let TS stop me from doing anything in life or believing I can achieve things. Today however I feel overwhelmed by all the things I know that TS HAS stopped me from doing and all the problems it has and will cause me and my family.
Sometimes I trully hate Tourette Syndrome and wonder if I really should be here at all
The way you are treated by others can be intolerable
There is so little understanding and awareness
Medical provision for TS is so inadequate
There is almost no provision or support for people with TS in the UK
Because of the prejudice of others it is very difficult to earn a living or have a career
There is little protection against discrimination and harrassment
Most people have little ability to see the person beyond the disorder and so almost never take you seriously however hard you try or however articulate and qualified you are
People seem only to 'define' you by your TS
This IS how I and others with TS often feel when things are getting too much. I can't say whether I would wish to have been born without it. I would have been a different person - it is so much a part of who I am .... for better or worse and there is little I can do about it
The one big dream I have always harboured is the possibility that one day I might be able to live in America where they have legislation to ensure disadvantage is reduced and I believe a better awareness about Tourette syndrome beyond the negative and stereotypical perspective that prevails in the UK.
