Have you ever looked at a child or adult who is suffering and does not know how to express their pain? My son and my husband are two men, with hearts of gold and bodies racked with daily anguish, caused from a neurological involuntary movement disorder called "Tourette Syndrome". This pain should have turned their hearts to stone but with the help of the Tourette Syndrome Association, their hearts are intact and so are their lives.
Tourette Syndrome is an involuntary movement disorder that causes good human beings, no matter what race, creed, or ethnic background, to do things with their bodies they have no control over. This disease afflicts millions of children and adults who suffer the symptoms every day of their lives.
The Tourette Syndrome New York City Counseling Program (NYCCP) has been in existence for 25 years, and is the nation's only full-time, freestanding, community-based counseling program for people affected by Tourette Syndrome. This wonderful program is in danger of closing if we do not do anything about it.
On June 29, 2008, the City Council approved a new budget for fiscal year 2009 that cut funding to numerous city programs funded by the DHMH, including the Tourette Syndrome NYCCP located in Bayside, Queens and in Brooklyn . The NYCCP is fully funded through the DHMH, and if these budget cuts go into effect, the program will be drastically compromised, and quite possibly, be forced to close.
Why do we need to support this program?
What if your were on the train or bus and someone sitting across from you was jerking his head back and forth and swearing profanities that made you feel sick to your stomach, or made you feel insulted by their behavior? Let me tell you, that young kid is not cursing because he is some punk from the streets, looking for attention, or trying to pick a fight. He has Tourette Syndrome and he doesn't want to do that behavior, just as much as you don't want to see it.
What about the kid in school who just can't sit still? He tries to-he even goes so far as to sit on his foot just to hold himself down, but the imbalance in his brain chemistry tells him to move, get up, distract the class, clown around, and even cause a mess of problems amongst his fellow students. You tell him to sit down and out of the blue in a snap of a finger he goes into a rage that will not be contained. What do you do? You know him, he has a problem called ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). No matter how he tries, he just can't stop. Many people with Tourette Syndrome aren't just fighting TS they are plagued with these issues daily. (My son and my husband are two of them.) These concerns if not addressed properly, and without the right psychological and proper care, can lead to violence and even the death of a student.
Moreover, what of the lone teenager who sits in the back of the class? He says nothing all day, never participates, has no friends, and is invisible to the world around him. You think he's shy. "Oh, he'll come out of his shell sooner or later," you tell yourself. Suppose he can't explain himself? What if he's depressed and you have no idea. What if he's alienated because of his disorder, or abused at home because of it, and is afraid to talk?
Last night he killed himself.
That is what disorders do to our children and loved ones. If we keep silent about them, our children and our families will die-die to themselves and die to the system. Can we look in the mirror and know that we did nothing to help? This is a moral and human issue, and our children will end up in the streets with nowhere to go if we do nothing. I am blessed to find the Social Workers with the Tourette Syndrome Association. Not only for the men in my life, but also for me, who desperately needed to learn how to cope with them and their special needs.
Please explain to me, a woman with a son and husband inflicted by TS-how can we look at this issue and close the doors on it? We cannot. We must act and act now. If you know someone with issues pertaining to Tourette Syndrome, or any other mental or physical problems it is your duty to make sure that there is help for them. If not, that person may be lost in the system forever, or maybe dead by his own hand.
Your voice on this urgent matter is vital. Go to www.council.nyc.gov tell your councilperson and school officials how you feel. We must act NOW!
ANGELICA HARRIS: Mythical Fantasy author Angelica Harris, www.angelicaharris.com , lives in NY with her family. She is the author of books The Quest for Excalibur and Excalibur and the Holy Grail. Harris is a member of the S.C. A. and loves Fencing. At present, she is writing her third book, Excalibur Reclaims Her King, with Corey Blake www.writersoftheroundtable.com due out in December 2008.
Angelica's son and husband, both inflicted with Tourette Syndrome and other co-morbid issues, have found a family and home with the Tourette Syndrome Association.
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i've always thought that God puts special people with people who need to be special. my heart goes out to anyone who suffers. thank you for bringing this information to our attention.
thanks for sharing and i hope you continue writing,
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