06/17/2026
“Hello! I’m Rue, I'm 17 and going into my senior year of high school this fall! I’m a continuous honor roll student, I actively serve my community, participate in extracurricular activities, and bring laughter to those around me. I was told I had Tourette’s at the age of 14.
As early as the 4th grade of elementary school I started to find myself doing body movements that didn’t reflect the actions of my peers. From then on, my tics only worsened, and soon my school teachers were meeting with my parents to discuss concerns. [...]
I remember finally realizing something was wrong with me. Why was I different from my friends and classmates? In 5th grade, I was frequently bullied on the bus for my tics. People would mock me and ask rude questions which made it difficult for me to enjoy my school environment. It wasn’t until my 7th grade year of middle school that I was finally referred to a neurologist who told me that I had Tourette's syndrome. I was grateful to finally have the resources and understanding of why I was different and start my journey to help manage living with Tourette’s.
Since then, I have made active efforts in my daily life to further educate myself on the complexity of Tourette Syndrome and teach my friends and family! [...] I find myself frequently answering questions my friends ask about Tourette Syndrome, and it makes me happy knowing that I’m educating those around me. There are many negative stereotypes about Tourette Syndrome and often the media only covers extreme cases of Tourette Syndrome but everyone is different in their own way. My journey with Tourette’s is far from over; however, I will continue to advocate for people like me in hopes of building a more educated and supportive community for those living with Tourette Syndrome or those who wish to learn more! After all, I've always encouraged those around me to ask questions rather than possibly misunderstand someone else’s situation.” - Rue
🌟 Read the rest of Rue's story and other stories from the and community at mytourette.org
