Local author Kyle Semmel is no stranger to publishing work, but a recent piece for Huffington Post took him out of his comfort zone.
Semmel says throughout his childhood and adulthood, he has worked to hide vocal and motor tics characteristic of Tourette syndrome (TS). As a kid, he wasn’t familiar with the condition, and neither was his family. It wasn’t until adulthood—when a severe bout of tics led him to rear-end a car—that he received an official diagnosis.
According to the CDC, about 1 million Americans have Tourette syndrome or another tic disorder. Semmel says he doesn’t want other people to experience the shame and humiliation he has felt as he has tried to suppress tics throughout his life. His goal is to help normalize TS by talking and writing about it.
This hour, our guests share their stories as we discuss what TS is and how to eliminate the stigma.
In studio:
- Kyle Semmel, local author and translator, and Tourette syndrome patient
- Peter Morrison, D.O., assistant professor in the Department of Neurology, Movement Disorders, at UR Medicine; and Tourette Syndrome patient
This story is reported from WXXI’s Inclusion Desk.
