When Evie was little she started being unable to prevent herself repeating the words "Excuse me" for no reason; a dance teacher pulled me aside to chastise me because at 4 years old she was "doing her own thing with moves and it has to stop", in more than one gymnastics competition she fell off the beam because her leg moved incorrectly (we asked an instructor about the different levels for people with special requirements but were told "that's for people who are properly disabled"), during one phase she has unintentionally hit her own forehead so repetedly that it has bled; she has cried because her hands couldn't make a friendship bracelet at Brownies they just kept letting go of the beads and knots; she's lost friends who thought she was pulling faces or gestures to make fun of them.

It's an ignorable condition for many, most people tell us they "don't see it", she has become very good at hiding it, but sometimes in a bad way because she would rather people think she did something wrong than admit she doesn't know why it happened. She has quit dance, quit gym, lost friends, hidden from opportunities and says she is no good at things like sport, art, handwriting, all things she has loved because she is bored of feeling a failure...

Now Evelyn is raising awareness (and hopefully money) for the charity supporting people with her condition.

Tourettes is an inherited neurological condition.

 It affects one school child in every hundred.

Over 300,000 children and adults are living with TS in the UK.

The key features are tics – involuntary sounds and movements.

 Over 85% of people with TS will also experience co-occurring conditions and features which might include Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), and Anxiety.

TS is often misunderstood as a condition which makes people swear, or say socially inappropriate things. 

'coprolalia’ – the clinical term for involuntary swearing 

90% of people with Tourettes DO NOT HAVE coprolalia

Visit the Tourettes Action website and find out more, share and educate with the information you learn to support this talented, friendly, loving, intelligent, beautiful girl and so many more besides.

She and a small supportive selection of family are doing Insane Terrain, a mad obstacle course with mud, I hope it will be one small step in raising her self esteem that most do not realise she lacks.

Thanks for taking the time to visit her JustGiving page.  Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.