Changing my own focus

One of the mothers on the National Tourette Syndrome Association's Facebook page posted a link last night to a blog post she had written on Giving up vs. Letting up.  She originally wrote the article almost a year ago, but I think she shared it with us at the perfect time.

Lately, I've had a lot of concern over about Monster Man and the issues he has had alongside the Tourette Syndrome.  Most of the time, we don't notice his tics anymore.  However, we can't help but notice his anxiety, the recent problems with lying, and the fact that he's been so easily distracted the past few days.  It's hard not to notice the anger he has been quick to express on more than one occasion.  Some days, it has seemed like my little boy has been slipping away from me, and it's been easy to want to search for any possible way to bring him back to me.

I've mentioned before that Monster Man has told me that he doesn't want any medication to take away his TS.  Instead, he's told me that God gave him TS to make him special.  He likes his tics because they are part of what makes him who he is.

The article reminded me that the TS is just a part of who Monster Man is.  He is so much more first.  I just have to stay focused on the comic, the artist, the softball player, the wanna be Nascar driver, the hockey fan, the intelligent student, ...

Celebrities with Tourette Syndrome

The question came up on the National Tourette Syndrome Association Facebook page yesterday as to what all celebrities have been diagnosed with TS. While the answers given didn't include all of them, it was quite interesting to find out who does have TS, who did have TS, and who is speculated to have TS.

One that immediately stuck out to me is NASCAR driver Steve Wallace. Son of driver Rusty Wallace, Steve is one of the younger drivers in NASCAR at this time. I've read somewhere that his uncle, NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace, has also stated that he was diagnosed. This is of particular interest to me, as well as to Monster Man, since Monster Man has (as I've mentioned in a previous post) talked a lot about driving for NASCAR someday. I would love for him to be able to meet these two drivers and to find out that it is still possible to make his dream come true!

Soccer players David Beckham and Tim Howard, x-treme motocross racer Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg, minor league baseball players Jim Eisenreich and Mike Johnston, and retired pro golfer Calvin Peete are amongst the list of pro-athletes that been diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome.

There are also many comedians, musicians, and actors that make up the list of celebrities with TS. We were only a little surprised to see that Dan Aykroyd and Howie Mandel were both on the list. Robin Williams is speculated to have TS, though some say that his is a 'self-imposed' kind of Tourette Syndrome. There is also so research that suggests that Mozart might have had Tourette Syndrome, as well.

When you see the list of celebrities that have faced TS head on, overcoming the daily challenges to do what they love best, it gives a better idea of just how possible it is to reach your dreams even when faced with Tourette Syndrome.

When He grows up...

Sometimes I listen to the things that Monster Man talks about being when he grows up, and it almost makes me want to cry. So many of the things he mentions involve the things that he has recently become so scared of.

For years, he has talked about being a racecar driver. He wants to be a part of Nascar, driving right alongside some of his favorite drivers. He has made plans of how to get the money for his car, who to turn to for sponsorship, even what colors he wants his car to be. He has drawn pictures of his dream car, posting them all over his room. He has created his own version of a Nascar magazine for kids. I would love to see him meet this dream that he has put so much effort into, but then I think back to the fact that he's scared of the possibility of accidents, that he doesn't even like to sit on the driver's side of the car anymore, and it makes me wonder how he will ever be able to reach this dream.

He has also started taking an interest in outer space. He often talks about becoming an astronaut. He draws pictures of space shuttles sometimes, but he doesn't put as much effort into this dream as he does into his dream of becoming a Nascar driver. Still, though, I can't help but wonder about how he can achieve this goal. He's terrified of heights, busting into tears at the thought of being in a high space (though we can usually help him become more comfortable if we allow him to take time to adjust and if we stay patient with him. Even the thought of getting on an airplane scares him, so how could he handle getting into a space shuttle? And what about his reaction at the space center, when he was scared the rockets would fall over on top of him and crush him. He didn't even want to go near them, so how is he supposed to get into a shuttle? He talks about saving up to send himself to Space Camp, but I just don't know if I'd be able to let him go knowing how much these things scare him.

I want so badly to support Monster Man with his dreams. I've always wanted to encourage my children and to help them reach the goals that they hope to achieve. It's so hard to support Monster Man with all these questions in my mind, though. All I can do is pray for his fears to be relieved.