Hello World

If you’ve been following the blog recently you’ll know it’s been a hectic time for me recently with all the sudden media interest in Touretteshero. Today, the message is about to go global via an interview with Matthew Bannister on the World Service. Apparently his Outlook show has an audience of 40 million listeners, so if you’re one of them and you’ve just found the site, welcome.

I went and spoke with Matthew at Broadcast House on Monday. He asked a lot of thoughtful questions about living with Tourettes and gave me plenty of time to answer.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/44508198″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

It was refreshing not being called a ‘Tourettes sufferer’. I much prefer it when people call me a ‘person with Tourettes’ because that’s what I am. It’s a subtle distinction but it makes a big difference to me and it’s amazing how many people instinctively use ‘sufferer.’

I’ve been writing this blog for over two years and in that time I’ve come to realise Tourettes isn’t my problem, it’s my power. Touretteshero really is for everyone, with and without Tourettes, so if you’re new here, I hope you find something that interests you and makes you laugh. Have a read through my many amazing tics and see what stunning artwork they’ve inspired in the gallery.

We’re a small organisation dedicated to raising awareness about Tourettes and creating innovative and memorable events for children and young people with the condition. If you’ve enjoyed looking at website and feel you’d like to help contribute to what we’re doing, please donate. It’s easy to do and should make you feel good.

New content’s being added to the site all the time so make sure you come back and see what I’m getting up to soon.

Photo: Jonathan Birch

11 responses to Hello World

  1. Dan Farrow says:

    "…an audience of 40 million listeners"

    hello server meltdown! 🙂

  2. Catwings says:

    Glad he gave you plenty of time to answer, there were one or two moments in the last one when I thought he didn’t let you finish?
    Do you know when it’s being broadcast? I’ll have to look out for it.

  3. You can find the programme here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/p00qt53y
    My interview is towards the end of the show. We will pop it on our soundcloud soon. Hope you enjoy it.

  4. megodzillaudead says:

    Heard your interview on my local public radio station here in the US, and I am in awe of your strength and approach to this condition. Also on a silly linguistic note, I can’t stop thinking about the differences between English dialects on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean: every time you say "biscuit" I imagine a big, fluffly, buttery, golden, vehicle for the delivery of gravy and/or butter as depicted. Wikipedia has a picture that really makes me smile as well https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BiscuitsAmerican%26British.png .

  5. Mercman says:

    Heard you interviewed across the pond, here in Toronto.on.ca
    Thanks for sharing!
    Great ideas.

  6. mrjollypantsjolly says:

    I heard you today in Somerset. It was great!!! Jolly good show!!!

  7. aspergirl says:

    You are awesome! Thank you so much for just being you. My superpower steals my voice often; I tend to tic silence, but do also have echolalia at times. Thank you so much for accepting yourself fully and beautifully. It means we now get to have that same chance to accept you as well. Your interview and site made me happy–and maybe not quite as lonely in the world.

  8. Sandra says:

    I listened to your interview with Matthew Bannister last night in Toronto on CBC overnight and was most impressed – with his questions and attitude and with your responses.
    And I agree, being called a ‘sufferer’ of anything is a little demeaning. You sounded very positive and it was interesting to realize how quickly I was able to ignore the interjections of ‘biscuit’!
    Now, I am off to read more your blog.

  9. rotorheadstu says:

    I heard you on National Public Radio in Louisiana, USA a few days ago and am humbled by your super powers. You really are a hero. Thank you for who you are and what you do.

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