Why Tourettes and why me?

I am a mum who was thrown into an unusual situation just over 2 years ago - when overnight I became the mother of a daughter with Tourette’s Syndrome (TS). I’d seen documentaries about the condition and heard the mocking “Oh he swears so much he must have Tourettes!” but I could never have dreamed of the implications it would have on the lives of the whole family. As a single mum with 3 daughters it has had a huge impact on every part of our lives and I hope to write about some of the trials and tribulations as well as our achievements in overcoming the challenges that we face daily.

I am hoping through writing this blog I can help others living with TS come to understand the condition and the difficulties faced as a parent or carer. One of the most helpful things for me was to know I’m not alone trying to cope with having a child with Tourettes. There is little support from professionals and a considerable amount of misunderstanding from parents, families, teachers, medics and other professionals and it breaks my heart to see parents at the end of their tether for numerous reasons beyond their control while children often suffer and are sometimes punished for things they can’t help doing.
I also find it cathartic writing about it - it took about 18 months to get my head around my daughter's condition and our family’s change in circumstance, and is still difficult at times, so this is ongoing therapy for me, it’s something I have been wanting to do for a while and hopefully I can help others as I have been helped.