Sooke family leads awareness walk on Sunday
For parents Darek and Kate Andrzejewski, experiencing Tourette syndrome happens every day. Their 10-year-old son, Mikey, has the neurological disorder.
B次元官网网址淲hen you find out your child has Tourette it can be devastating,B次元官网网址� Kate said.
B次元官网网址淧eople stay in the dark, they donB次元官网网址檛 want other people to find out, so they stay home,B次元官网网址� Darek added. B次元官网网址淭hey think people are going to laugh at their kid.B次元官网网址�
The Sooke couple offered to organize this yearB次元官网网址檚 five-kilometre Trek for Tourette fundraiser for Greater Victoria. This is the first time it is being held in Langford. Previously it was held in Broadmead Village in Saanich.
B次元官网网址淲e choice Langford because this is where the families are,B次元官网网址� Kate said. B次元官网网址淲e will be visible here.B次元官网网址�
All across Canada, communities are hosting Trek for Tourette fundraisers on March 27. This is the third national fundraiser for the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada.
MikeyB次元官网网址檚 parents want to find him a few friends he could relate to. B次元官网网址淢ikey came up to me and said he wants a 10-year-old boy with Tourette to talk with to B次元官网网址榮o heB次元官网网址檒l know what I am talking about,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Kate said.
Over the years, Darek and Kate have developed a support network for their family through friends, teachers and coaches. They want to help other families develop support systems and say participating in the Trek for Tourette is a great way to network.
B次元官网网址淢ikey has Tourette, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), anxiety and difficulty sleeping,B次元官网网址� Kate added explaining these are common issues among people with Tourette. B次元官网网址淏ut heB次元官网网址檚 got a great imagination.B次元官网网址�
The family started noticing Mikey was showing signs of Tourette when he was five with vocal tics. His parents remember them as little screeches.
Kate said itB次元官网网址檚 uncommon for children to be diagnosed before they are seven years old. The syndrome peaks when kids are between nine and 13.
Some of MikeyB次元官网网址檚 tics are vocal tics including words and noises, motor tics that include facial grimaces and dystonic tics where his muscles can lock up and he is unable to move.
B次元官网网址淎 person with Tourette has no control, but full knowledge, of what they are doing,B次元官网网址� Darek said.
While there are numerous types of tics associated with Tourette, coprolalia (uncontrollable cursing) is commonly known as a sign, but in reality itB次元官网网址檚 an uncommon symptom.
B次元官网网址淥ne in a hundred people will have Tourette and of those people only 10 per cent will have coprolalia,B次元官网网址� Kate said.
Even though some tics can be disruptive to others, MikeyB次元官网网址檚 parents say when someone who has Tourette is stressed out they tic more. When others point out or draw attention to tics, they will get worse.
B次元官网网址淪ome people donB次元官网网址檛 understand and try to punish them,B次元官网网址� Darek said. B次元官网网址淜ids think itB次元官网网址檚 funny. I spoke to someone before and said, B次元官网网址榶ou wouldnB次元官网网址檛 laugh at someone with Down syndrome.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�
Mikey doesnB次元官网网址檛 let his challenges stop him from living his life. He plays on a basketball team and plays piano in his spare time.
B次元官网网址淲e donB次元官网网址檛 want Tourette or anxiety stop him from having a happy life,B次元官网网址� Kate said.
This five-kilometre loop starts at Frontrunners, 755 Goldstream Ave. The trek carries on to Peatt Road, Veterans Memorial Parkway, Kelly Road to Phipps Road and back to Peatt Road.
Registration is 1 p.m. on March 27, at Frontrunners. The trek starts at 2 p.m. For more information go to www.tourette.ca.
reporter@goldstreamgazette.com
