The video was taken by Meggan. She's 14. She has Tourette's Syndrome. I can't imagine how difficult high school is for a kid with TS. Her video made me smile...and cry a bit. Take a look:
For clarification, Meggan's mom says that the jokes that her friends make are not mean spirited. She has a particular tic in which she barks, somewhat like a dog. When she does, one of her friends "ribbits" like a frog, to divert attention from Meggan. There's another tic, where Meggan makes a noise like "Wheeeeeeeeeee!". When she does that, her friend smiles and says, "Wow. You're so happy to see me!".
I know from experience that it helps to have someone available to draw attention off of you. The last thing you need is to have a "friend" staring at you, or worse, looking uncomfortable, when everyone in the room is looking at you when you tic.
It takes a lot of courage to talk about this openly to your inner circle, let alone the world. Meggan is a brave young lady.
For clarification, Meggan's mom says that the jokes that her friends make are not mean spirited. She has a particular tic in which she barks, somewhat like a dog. When she does, one of her friends "ribbits" like a frog, to divert attention from Meggan. There's another tic, where Meggan makes a noise like "Wheeeeeeeeeee!". When she does that, her friend smiles and says, "Wow. You're so happy to see me!".
I know from experience that it helps to have someone available to draw attention off of you. The last thing you need is to have a "friend" staring at you, or worse, looking uncomfortable, when everyone in the room is looking at you when you tic.
It takes a lot of courage to talk about this openly to your inner circle, let alone the world. Meggan is a brave young lady.
