Jon was 4 when we first noticed that he shrugged his shoulder. It didn't bother us, after all, everyone has at one time or other has some 'bad habits' or peculiarities - including my husband who is always clearing his throat and blinking his eyes; my mother-in-law who is constantly spitting and sometimes appears to be walking with a limp; as well as other close relations who often display tics of some form or other.

Over the next few years, Jon would occasionally blink his eyes, jerk his head, scrunch his face or fling his arms. Again it didn't bother us even though we are vaguely aware of TS and suspect he is probably suffering from it, like several of the family members as there is a hereditary predisposition to the disorder. It never crossed our minds that his condition would deteriorate. We also did not realize that there are so many accompanying problems related to TS.

One day, at the age of 9, Jon did the most bizarre tic of bending his body on one side with such a sharp tilt, it would appear as if he would fall over as he walked. This would soon disappear only to be replaced by many other tics. Needless to say, we were perplexed over his strange behaviour and would constantly yell at him whenever he became particularly irritating.

Jon will be 12 this year and is in primary 6. In spite of his condition, he has remained extremely loving and amazingly positive. He is managing well academically and socially with support from his teachers and several good friends in class. Although he has been teased and made fun of on many occasions, Jon's outgoing personality and optimism has lessened much of the embarrassment many TS sufferers encountered. He has never had a problem in telling friends that he has tourettes and would often tell them to ignore some of the vocal tics they may hear.

Jon and ourselves have over the years learnt to cope and adjust. TS is an encumbrance in life, not an affliction. We look at tourettes as just a setback, nothing to be ashamed of and never to be used as an excuse. We do however nudge at him to try to control his tics if he can whenever it gets bad.

Would you punish a child with epilepsy for having a seizure? Of course not. TS is no different!

Story Two

My son was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome at the age of 9. I noticed the change in him as he sticked out his tongue , cleared his throat loudly and beat his gum.

Initially, due to my ignorance, I thought he was just naughty, so I persuaded , scolded and brided him. However, every effort failed. I resorted to putting costage on his mouth to stop his tongue from sticking out. It failed too. I could sense his frustration and started to believe that he could not control.

It was hard! Who on earth will believe that someone can lost control over such actions. I started to feel helpless as I knew something terrible might be waiting ahead of me and my son.
I purchased a book called " Help your child to cope ", written by Dr Cai Yiming and Daniel Fung, both are medical professionals . From page 92-96, I saw the word "tics" and even "Tourette syndrome" was mentioned. I knew that this is the condition that affects my son immediately.
When the doctor confirmed this, my tears rolled down and I started to worry for him.

During this 2.5 years, he displayed all kinds of symptoms which involved the face , tongue, mouth, hands, shoulder , legs and whole body . He sometimes shout, make pig sound , uttered inappropriate phrases, occasionally repeated others' last words. The volume of his vocal tics could be very loud and he could complained that his throat bleed. The affliated disorder -Obsessive Compulsive disorder and his auditory sensitivity made life even more challenging.
His life and our family lives have been changed so much that I at times do not see the reason for living. I took anti-depressant for a period of time . I had sleepless nights.

His studies was affected and he had no friend.

God come into our lives in Sep yr 2002 and now I am learning to trust God. Be anxious for nothing , but in everything, by prayers and supplication, with thanksgivings, let our requests be made know to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guide our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. I trust that everything is possible as God is almighty and powerful, I believe that everything will turn up beautiful in God's time.

Chuan Ren is in Pri 6 now and has a kind Principal and form teacher this year. His life in school is happier and he passed all subjects. Thank God.

Thank God that with medication, music theraphy and by God's grace, his condition is manageble recently and we are coping. As we learn to trust in God, I do not have sleepless nights .As I wait for God to deliever his promises, I will rest in peace . TS will surely not defeat us and God is with us.

Story 3 Jeremy Goh's story

It is very difficult to cope with T.S....BUT.....it is highly possible. You know, one of the most important reasons why I have been able to cope with TS is because after sometime, I manage to accept it. My parents also found it difficult to cope with me having TS but in time, with lots of love and patience, they accepted it as well. In fact, both my parents did what Dr. Sharon Chan advised us, that is "to see beyond the tics and instead see the person" And that is also how I survived my National Service.

If you think that just because I had TS, I was given a lot of special treatment then you are dead wrong. Although when serving my NS, there were certain activities that I was excused from, my officers and superiors always treated me like any other soldier with discipline and authority. I had to give the same amount of respect to those of higher rank than me and when I made a mistake whether in my discipline or work, I was also punished. I was also shouted at and had grilling sessions in my officer's room. I was pushed to get things done but never beyond my level of competence. You see my friends, what the Army did to me was exactly what Dr. Chan advised us to do...."to see beyond the tics and instead see the person". The Army did not treat me based on my tics but based on what they felt - in their professional opinion - I could do. That was the best gift that The Army gave me. Not only that, it showed me what my capabilities were and boy was I surprised! I realized that I could do things I never thought I could do. I was even able to stay away from home for weeks during my "mission trainings". All I did during that time was to bring my medication along and take it regularly.

So you see, it wasn't easy but it was definitely achievable. And you know what else? During NS, my parents never once told me that I should request to be discharged. My Dad would always sit down patiently with me and listen to all my complaining but never once did he say "I think you should leave The Army" Mum was even better, she would always say, "GOOD! Now you know what it is like to be a man".

To end off, I can only say that life with TS is not a bed of roses. They will always be storms and rough patches but like any storm, the aftermath is a warm greeting of sunshine. And how do we accomplish that? Simple............"To see beyond the tics and instead see the person" and that is also relevant to the sufferer.

His father also shares with us his story……

Allow me to share some of our experiences as parent of a TS sufferer from childhood to adulthood. Like most parents we started noticing our son's symptoms as bad habits when he was about 8 to 9 years old. When the symptoms became quite bad we then started seeking medical treatment. After numerous consultations and tests the doctors could not find anything wrong with him. Finally a doctor recommended us to consult Dr Sharon Chan who then diagnosed him as suffering from TS. That was when he was about 10 years old. This is the beginning of many years of regular consultation with Dr Chan. At this point I would really like to thank Dr Chan for all that she had done for us as a family to cope with a TS sufferer. From the beginning she encouraged us to cope with this as a family. Most of the consultation sessions in the early years were done as a family together with our 2 other daughters. Thru these family sessions we learn to accept our son's conditions.

Having live with a TS sufferer for 15 years now I will have to say it is very difficult but at the same time very challenging and rewarding. Seeing how my son, in spite of his condition is able to led life to the fullest and continue life as normal looking beyond his tics give my family a very rewarding feeling.

From our experience we learn that family support is extremely important to the child. By support I don't mean protecting him from the harsh reality of having the TS condition but supporting him in learning to cope with his condition and to led as normal a life as possible. During his childhood days we do everything as a family like going to the cinema, party, show, etc. We refuse to restrict any of our activities because of him. I am in the aviation industry and we continue traveling every year. Of cause when we are in the aircraft we pray and hope very hard that he will not cause any serious disturbance to other passengers or do anything dangerous on flight. In fact when he was in secondary school, he was in the school band and he actually went on a trip by himself, with the band to Hawaii for a band competition. Of cause when he was there we were extremely anxious and worried but felt that it was the right thing for us to do if we want him to led a normal life and looking back now we are sure we have made the right decision.

Another very important factor in coping with TS is acceptance. For the sufferer acceptance of their condition and for family, acceptance of their love one's condition. If we, by we I mean the TS sufferer and their families, have difficulties coming to term with ours or our child, brother or sister's condition how can we expect other to accept us. This bring us back to Dr Chan talk when she said " to see beyond the tics and instead see the person "

I leave the best for the last. The most important factor in coping with TS or any matter is to put our trust in GOD. Whatever religion we practice there is always a God for us. A child is a gift from God and God give him/her to us parent for a purpose. So whatever and however our child maybe we as parents we only need to do our best in bringing up our child and God will do the rest. Over the years our family have found that praying and trusting in God have been the most important factor in helping us in having a child/brother with TS

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