Tristen Curtis Michael Frampton
Life with Tourette syndrome is by no means easy. It is by no means a normal life. But it is yet still, not a different life. We are all unique. We are all special. We are all important. And most of all, we all deserve to be treated fairly, whether we twitch, or shout, or let it all out. Life with Tourette’s was a challenge. I got teased. A lot. Like everyone, I had good days and I had bad days. Sometimes I got so aggravated that I wanted to give up. I wanted to just let go and hand over the victory to the Tourette’s. But I didn’t. It took plenty of hurdles and plenty of times smacking my face on the ground, but one day I just got it. It just clicked and I finally understood more clearly than I will ever understand anything else in my entire life. Tourette’s was not a curse like so many of us deem it to be. It is a blessing. Through every hurdle and every fall, Tourette’s had been there with me every time. You may ask the reason I got up after every fall? Tourette’s. I finally understood that all this time, I wanted to beat it. I didn’t want to accept that it was in control, because it wasn’t. I was in control all along. Tourette’s was pushing me to be better and to strive to achieve all that I could, simply because I wanted to be able to say that I was in control. Tourette’s may resonate in me, but it is still my body and my life, to do with as I please. The Tourette’s is just a guest in my home. I remember one day a while back, when I still tried to hold in my tics, something my best friend said to me. He knows me pretty well so he could tell I was holding in my tics. What made me finally understand was just a few simple words. Words that left a lasting impression on me. My best friend said, “It’s okay dude. It’s just me.” Those words made it click. He knew it wasn’t my fault. He knew I was holding them in because I was afraid of them. And in those few seconds, I finally understood that I’ll never control the tics – I’m not supposed to. But I can beat them. Since then, Tourette’s has been my drive to excel. That is because I know one simple fact now. Tourette’s is not my master. Tourette’s is not the one who decides my future. I am the one who decides my future. I may have Tourette’s, but Tourette’s will never have me.