Most of my friends and family know my son Harry has Tourette’s (TS) Most people think this is just something that makes people swear a lot, however there is so much more to it. 

3 days after his 12th birthday Harry had an acute tic attack, resulting in a trip to a&e, since then we have been on a pretty scary roller coaster. After seeking further advice and support we think Harry has had TS most of his life but due to the sheer lack of awareness, knowledge and understanding surrounding TS nobody ever picked it up. I always put his little twitches or subtle throat clears and hums down to something else. TS wasn’t even on my radar. 

Harrys tics can and do vary on a wide scale from woofing and tapping to full on hitting himself and others and shouting expletives. He has experienced freezing tics during which his entire body will freeze and he cannot move. He has significant anxiety and finds leaving the house quite difficult. Sadly there is no cure for TS, however with support Harry can learn coping strategies and mechanisms. The problem is services that offer support for TS and tic disorders are extremely limited and even health care professionals have a limited knowledge surrounding it. Unless they seek to specialise in it there is no training for them in med school.. 

So to help Harry and other families there are charities like Tourette’s Action UK. Myself and my sister in law have decided to walk from Brighton Palace Pier to Eastbourne Pier to raise money for them (she is also raising money for her own charity - have a look on her page.) It is about 22miles and will take us about 8 hours, we are planning on starting bright and early on Sunday 20th June. Any donations will be so so gratefully received and appreciated. 

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