Stories

Hear from people with lived experience of Tourettes

Meet Haze

My experience with being a Tourettic adult is a little different to many others in the community. My tics were not obvious in my childhood, I had a positive outlook on living with Tourette Syndrome from the very beginning of my tics, I was 18 at the time of my diagnosis and my first experience with the Tourette Syndrome Association of Australia was at a charity "Zombie Walk" in the Sydney area. So to say my journey with Tourette Syndrome is unique in many ways would be an understatement.

Meet Seamus

Living with Tourette Syndrome is hard.

Being different is hard.

Standing out from the crowd from unwanted attention is hard.

Hearing the words, "Tourette Syndrome" escape the doctor's mouth, your mind is instantly filled with questions like, "What does this mean?", "Is there a cure?" and "Will it go away?"

None of which have an answer.

My name is Seamus Evans, I am 32 and was diagnosed at age 10. All this meant for me and my family is that we now had a name for my "Habits" as we affectionately called them.

Meet Rose

My name is Rosaria Strazzeri, better known as Rose. My pronouns are They/Them/Her/she.

I am 53 and I am a Tourettic, Autistic, ADHDer with OCD, executive function difference, social and general anxiety, Ehlers Dahnlos/Hypermobility, POTS... all the usual extras that come with the Tourette Package.

I've been a paediatric speech pathologist for 11 years. Prior to that I was an openly Tourettic Director of OOSH (school aged child care), a teacher's aide, a disabilty support worker, a respite care provider, and a housecleaner. I also had stints doing voice work and various odd jobs in earlier years. I have been working since I was 14 despite the barriers of my TS and other conditions.