[gentle bright music] [gentle bright music continues] [soft piano music] - My first tics started when I was actually about two or three.

You know, I would punch my shoulders, I would click my shoulders together, I would scream, actually.

So if you see somebody who is having tics, just recognize that they're not doing it for attention, and they're not doing it because they want to do it.

Really, just try to ignore the tics and focus on the person.

[soft piano music] [kids chattering and laughing] [soft piano music] I had such a great childhood being in Gloucester County, it's a fun mix of things.

You know, we're close to Philadelphia, we're not far from the beach, but there's also a lot of farmlands.

It really is such a great place to live.

I plan to stay in Gloucester County.

When people hear the word Tourette's, they always think of the cursing, and that's actually called coprolalia, which it's a form of Tourette, I had it myself.

It can also include what we call comorbids or comorbidities.

It's very common for it to come along with OCD, ADHD, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, other things like that.

Not always, but it's likely that if you have Tourette's, you may have another condition.

So now you'll see me blinking my eyes, you might see me like wiggle my nose, or I'll make little clicking noises.

But as I've gotten older, they've definitely decreased.

- You were always interesting.

[people laughing] Never dull, I loved watching you kids.

- I get this feeling almost like when you get an itch, and the only way to scratch the itch is to do the tic.

So my little brother was diagnosed first.

- We had Eric, I couldn't understand why he just wouldn't sit quietly and read, because that's what you did.

- I was eventually diagnosed in the sixth grade, and then not too long after I was diagnosed, my sister got her diagnosis.

People with Tourette syndrome, sometimes they can suppress certain tics, but not always.

I was able to suppress it and kind of hide it, but it would only make it worse, you know, when I eventually did let all of the tics out.

But in school, I tried to do that and my grades suffered as a result because I was so focused on suppressing the tics that I wasn't focused at all on anything happening around me.

It took a lot of energy, a lot.

[soft piano music] I was in the sixth grade, and that was actually the first time that I did a presentation and spoke publicly about having Tourette's, was that same day that I got diagnosed.

I wanted everyone to have the full understanding and the full idea of what Tourette's actually is.

So I wrote a little speech and I presented it to my class, I wanted them to recognize that I'm not doing these things because I want to.

My brain is making me do these things, I don't have any control over it, but at the end of the day, I am just like any other kid.

Once they understood what it was, they were fine.

They were like, "Oh yeah, you know, it's no big deal."

I'm so proud that I took that step.

Doing that first presentation really changed the course of my life.

Before my diagnosis, I was very, very shy and very soft-spoken.

And then after the diagnosis, now I have this ability to connect with people and also advocate for myself and my needs.

One of my passions has always been soccer.

Whenever I would play it, it really helped with my tics.

My tics were the worst my freshman year and my sophomore year in high school.

And at that point, I actually was pulled out of school for a little bit of time because of how severe it was.

My body was exhausted, I was mentally exhausted from all of it, but going out and playing soccer kind of was my escape.

[gentle bright music] [gentle bright music continues] On the soccer field, I would hardly take it all because I was so focused on playing the game and what I was doing that it actually calmed my body.

I got involved with TOPSports because Coach Troy started this program three years before.

- So if your athlete does not play soccer today, but they learn your name and you learn their name and you get them to giggle one time, success!

[kids chattering and laughing] - TOP stands for The Outreach Program, and what we do is we get paired off one-on-one with an athlete who has some sort of special needs.

You're the best!

You're awesome, I love you.

We meet the kids where they're at.

We make sure that whatever it is that they have going on, they're still able to participate in the sport.

Alright, you going out?

Let's see it, I wanna see those soccer moves.

I started working with the most amazing kids, and I've just been in love with it ever since.

One of my first athletes that I started working with, his name is Nick, I call him my Nicky.

He is the coolest kid ever.

Through working together, we really started to develop a relationship, we really developed a bond.

The first sentence he ever said to me was, he asked me to be his Valentine, and I cried like a big wuss [laughs] 'cause I just, I just love this kid.

He took me to his prom.

I don't have enough good things to say about him, he's just incredible.

Because of the Tourette's, I wanna help other people because I know what it's like to feel different.

What's up, dude?

I'm able to relate to these kids on a deeper level.

I can understand, not everything that they're going through, obviously, but I can understand a little bit.

You've made it?

That's awesome!

Letting them know, "Hey, I understand challenges," they're more willing to open up to you and connect with you, and it creates a safe environment for the kids.

All right, I won't shake my head.

- [Kid] I go!

[soft piano music] - Education makes such a huge difference when it comes to Tourette's.

I've always wanted to be a teacher.

I'm going to school right now to be a special education teacher.

I work with kids every day that have differences, and I want them to know that they're valued and that they can accomplish things.

So I always say, ignore the tics, focus on the person.

But that goes for so much more than just the tics.

What makes them unique?

What makes them themselves?

I would want them to know that they're so much more than their tics and their diagnosis.

[soft piano music] I definitely believe that where I live affects how I live.

I have such a strong sense of community here, everybody here in Gloucester County is so kind and understanding.

In the sixth grade, I wasn't sure what a job was going to look like.

I didn't know if I was gonna be able to be successful in college.

I would not be where I am today without the amazing supports that I've found here in Gloucester County.

Everything's working out... so far.

I don't wanna jinx it.

[laughs] [soft piano music] [soft piano music continues]