Holy bad genes

’"God Damn it, son of a bitch, up yours! Motherfucker." My father could be heard saying the likes on any given morning while enjoying his coffee and cigarette. The typical arm and hand motions accompanying corresponding phrases and intermittently sprinkled with cheek tics, growls, and snarling of lip included. Usually this was ignored in my family. We were not afraid of him, well, maybe in a God fearing way. This was just Daddy.

Occasionally I would humorously ask, “What parishioner are you referring to now, Daddy?” A United Methodist preacher since age 21, he usually wasn’t even aware he had spoken into the physical world. In fact, according to him, he wasn't even thinking of anyone. From time to time these obscenities could be heard echoing the church halls from his office. But, never during a sermon! Only some stuttering of a, a, a. One of his very good friends tried to enlighten him as to what he might suffer from, back in the 80’s.

He did not accept the possibility of having Tourette syndrome until 2006, a few years after my #2 son, Todd, developed a rather explosive case of motor and vocal tics and a touch ofcoprolalia at the lage of 22. Not all people with Tourette syndrome, named after a French Doctor, Gilles de la Tourette, have corprolalia, as once thought, only about 10% do. However, genetic inheritance is not as gracious. Girls have a 50 % chance of inheriting the gene and boys a whopping 99%.* In my opinion, this syndrome, especially the sometimes associated coprolalia and corpropraxia, is one of the most misunderstood.

One day while riding in the car, my pastor’s wife, at that time, of a Southern Baptist church, offered her suspicion that Tourette’s was some sort of demonic possession or influence. Well, let me tell ya, “I am not closed minded and pondered the thought, at least for a few seconds.” However, I realized this was a very difficult syndrome for anyone to understand, much less, someone hyper socially aware, well practiced in self discipline, use to living in well defined narrow boundaries, and who has to think and problem solve most everything in spiritual terms, respectfully. In 1992, I was aware that only one of my then, four children had Tourette’s. Let alone, not yet realizing my-self or my father had ever showed signs of abnormal social behavior Surprisingly, if you live with and in something your whole life, it seems normal. This is the way we were.

Now, in 2009, all five children have the diagnoses, some with diverse mixes of other maladies. However, my first child’s case was much more severe. Therefore, it was magnified and recognized first. Years later, after my fourth child presented symptoms, I began to really understand Tourette’s genetic dynamics and its associated coprolalia, vocal tics of socially inappropriate words and racial slurs. Corpropraxia, a complex motor tic of sexual and social inappropriatness, is also a strange one to understand. I believe these might be a little more complex. Given, I am still learning.

At age four, my #4 began blinking, grimacing, and making some noises. I took him to a pediatric neurologist. He believed he was normal. He did not show any signs during the visit. There is always the chance it might develop later. After playing with and following him around for around one hour, he did tell me that #4 pwas an artist, be warned, and that he will want to experience everything.

A series of events may have led to the development of or premature development of more complex and violent tics. Immediately after we moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, #4, age 5 developed a violent head throwing tic. I took him to another pediatric neurologist for help.. I was afraid he would break his neck. This was not a new tic to me. My oldest and first diagnosed, had this same tic from about the same age. He would often sprain his neck, couldn’t move it due to pain and stiff muscles, but still be ticing. But, #4’s scared me. Bad words started just after he turned six.

In 1999, during Gretchen’s, child #3’s birthday party, it began. Upon excitement, #4 would blurt out socially unacceptable words, as though he had verbal incontinence. He was six when this began. This happened more often in a room with other children. However these words were not vile obscenities associated with demon possession or demonic persuasion. You know why, because he had not been exposed to them, so they weren’t there in his brain to recall! Having older brothers, of course he had been exposed to the word fuck. This was the worst. Todd, child number two, although experiencing mild head moving amd rolling, and eye blinking tics, had not presented this type of tic, yet, and #1 my first born, had a wee bit of corpropraxia, but never coprolalia. So, #4 could not be mimicing many bad words. He had only been around my father twice. Mostly, He tic’md words like pooh pooh and pee pee, oh, and the previously mentioned ‘f’ word above. Sometimes he uttered silly irrelevant words, ridiculous questions, statements, or informational phrases. Luckily, I haven’t heard anything resembling coprolalia in over one year, fingers crossed.

Some of my children have been treated with medications and some not at all. I now firmly believe my father self treated with coffee and ciggarettes. Daddy was a christian man. At age 19 he had accepted Jesus as his savior and followed Him. I am thinking of the kid's song "O be careful little eyes what you see, O be careful little ears what you hear..." I suppose this is a relevant story toward wathching what you see and hear.

Reading this may offend some readers. I would like to explain. These neurological disorders respect no one. They do not discriminate. There are no boundaries, no sacred place. No place is safe from their social taboos. Without this education, society is often, understandably too quick to judge, claim an incorrect verdict, and fork over an unforgiving and discriminating sentence. Many afflicted, either themselves or as family members, struggle to remain standing and to keep running the race. God has blessed me with humor to cope, understanding to forgive, and a passion for challenges to find solutions and persevere. May He bless all who desire, the same. Also, may He bless you with encouragement and boldness to stand and persue your goals. Still, sometimes, I feel like I am going through an obstacle course, Doing a two step dance, one step up and two steps back, uphill. Occasionally my toes are stepped on and sometimes I flat outright fall. Rise up and walk, run and keep running. This is our reality, our world.

*http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Tourette+Syndrome