Because of her cough, strangers regularly offer her a glass of water. However, that does not help Marjolein van Eek. She has Tourette’s syndrome, with a cough as a tic. “At school they told me to act normal.”
“I am very pleased that this conversation has brought attention to Tourette’s,” says Van Eek (59) on European Tourette’s Day on Wednesday. “Knowing about this syndrome makes it easier for the person who has it.”
Gilles de la Tourette is a collection of phenomena expressed through uncontrolled muscle movements and making sounds. The syndrome can feel like a lead ball for ‘touretters’, which they drag behind them.
Especially if it has never been established, Van Eek knows from experience. She was only told about nine years ago that she has Tourette’s. “I recognized the movements of my nephew, with whom they did notice it. Then my tics could also be explained.”
Van Eek would rather have known this earlier. She went to several doctors for answers. But none of them could explain why she coughs a lot, sometimes can’t close her right eye properly, and has a tic in one of her legs.
“Once the tic has passed, it provides relief for a very short time. Then the tension builds up again and it starts again,” she explains. “I miss a ‘shell’, which means that everything comes out faster, where others do have that filter.”
2023-06-07 14:36:12
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