Youth Ambassador

Hello Everyone!

I just finished calling and e-mailing my senators' and representative's offices about making appointments during my trip to DC in April with the TSA. Super exciting! ...And stressful. There is so much to do! I have to e-mail persistently, work on what exactly I'm going to say at the meeting, and try to get an excused educational absence from school for the days I will be gone! Okay, that doesn't sound like a lot... but I have Anxiety Disorder, so it is a lot to me.

My squeaking tic is really annoying me. I'm pretty sure it would annoy most anybody. I'm really glad that it has not disrupted class at all. I think I'm focused during class, which leads to less tics. Even taking this into account, my tics can still get bad during class. I'm surprised my squeaking tic has not been extremely persistent during class. Surprised... and grateful! Another tic that has been trying to get on my bad side is my leg muscle tensing tic. It works up a lot. Sometimes, I walk funny because of it. When I tense my legs, they lock up, so when I'm walking and ticcing, it looks strange... kind of like I'm not bending my legs while I walk. It looks pretty dorky, but I honestly don't care. I don't care what anyone thinks of me. Just what I think of myself.

I have a new prescription! My tics have been on the rise, so I am now going to take Valium when my tics get really bad. It's a muscle relaxer, so hopefully I will get some good sleep and tic less while on it. Let's hope for the best!

This is the last call for any questions about Tourette Syndrome that people want answered! You can email them to me at lifesatwitch.emma@gmail.com or comment on this post! I plan on shooting the video soon, and I already have some good questions that are going to be in the video.

Hey, I think TSA Youth Ambassador is going to look pretty good on my college applications!(;

Thanks for reading!!!

Emma<3

TSA Youth Ambassador Conference!

Hey Everyone,

I'm working on my paperwork for the Tourette Syndrome Youth Ambassador Conference!
I had to fill something out about Youth Ambassador Leadership Training.
I was just wondering if anyone else was going.
If you are, please tell me!

I'm extremely excited, and I will definitely blog about it once I am home. The conference is in April, so of course, I understand that is a little ways away from now, but I'm still super elated to be going!

On another note... Please check out the new documentary "Out of Our Control: The Chronicled Lives of Tourette's Syndrome"
I am in it, as well as many other teens and young adults who suffer from TS. Please check it out! It is on YouTube. The wonderful Ruthie Pershing made it, and her YouTube username is dispensingstarlight. So, please check that out! Also, check out her blog! It's called "A Little Bit Different: A Life with Tourette's Syndrome"

Thank you all!

Emma<3

Oh, Joyful Joyness . . .

Hello People,

Oh Joyful joy, happy, happy, joy, joy.

So, I've always had this tic that kind of comes and goes that has always scared me. I felt the need to scream so I pushed squeaks out of the back of my throat to mimic the feeling of screaming.
See, this tic would always come and go. Now it's staying with me.
I'm afraid if it keeps getting worse that I may disrupt class and even more questions will be thrown at me. I can nonchalantly disguise most of my tics... but a screaming tic? No way, Jose!
This tic has probably reached my top ten worst tics. I'd have to say it's almost number one. I mean, screaming? Really?
I only let myself squeak. It kind of scares me, because I've never had such a loud tic. It also annoys me because I can't just scream anywhere. I have such an overwhelming urge to scream! I can just squeak and it will pretty much satisfy my tic, because it feels like screaming.
You know how people say, "I'm so overwhelmed, I need to just scream into a pillow!"?
Well, I really do need to scream. Literally.
A little while ago, I was squeaking and my brother said, "Dad, is that Phin?"
Phin is the name of our dog.
My dad replied, "No, that's your sister."
And just now my brother though the sound I was making was my chair.
Sometimes I think it's funny, well... not funny... but unbelievable that people say, "Oh, I had the worst day ever today! I had a bad hair day and I got my period!"
That's not the worst day. Well, for some people, that is their worst day.
I pray for those kind of days.
Days where I won't have to tic anymore or stress out and become overwhelmed beyond compare. Where instead of not having total control of my body, my Tourettes is cured- and even if I get my period, have a bad hair day, and my boyfriend breaks up with me... That would still be the best day of my life. Not that I want to have ugly hair, bloody pants, and be forever alone... but if that all happened on the day that my Tourettes was cured, it would still be the best day of my life. I know that people have it way worse than me... trust me. I know that. At least I'm not starving or dying of Cancer. I thank God for that.
But, I don't do these things called "tics" for my own amusement.
I am not crazy.
I am not too different than everyone else.
I am a human being.
Not just a twitchy freak.
I have Tourettes.
But Tourettes does NOT have me.
Why do I blab on and on about Tourettes? Why do I have a blog about it? A YouTube channel for it? A Twitter for it? A Facebook page for it?
To raise awareness, so people know not to make fun of people with Tourettes. It's wrong. We're the same as everyone else; we just tic.
For so long I have dealt with people who don't understand Tourettes and make fun of it, but I've decided not to stand for that anymore. I've decided I'm going to make an impact.

The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.

And hey, life is such a twitch! Even so, you gotta keep livin'. While I live with Tourettes, I might as well do something about it.

Thank you for reading, and please tell your friends about Life's A Twitch!

Also...

Follow @ItsLifesATwitch on Twitter

Subscribe to @lifesatwitchemma on YouTube

And Like "Life's A Twitch" on Facebook

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.


You're all awesome!

Love,

Emma<3