He was diagnosed
when he was three..
Just a little boy..
Suddenly acting strange..
Making weird movements
and calling out names..
When I took him to the hospital
for their many tests..
I was told it could be cancer..
Maybe in his spine..
We will have to see the doctor continued
when all the tests are done..
I closed my eyes and prayed
God, Please don't take my son..
Take me I am willing..
but not this special one..
They put him through tests..
that hurt him
more than I want to remember..
but he was always such a champ..
coming through it
with the strength of thunder..
When I was told it was
Tourette Syndrome..
a neurological disease..
Something he could live with..
I thanked God on my knees..
I didn't think of the life he would have..
the challenges he would have to face..
All I cared about was he would live..
the rest would fall into place..
On his first day of school
I took him to his class..
I explained very carefully to the teacher
exsactly what John had..
She listened like she cared..
I thought she understood.
Until I found out she was putting my son
in front of the class..
next to her desk..
he was just to much of a distraction
to rest of her class..
I went back to her..
and told her AGAIN
it is not his fault..
It is a disease ... your a teacher..
Look it up ... you smuck!!!
And if you put my child aside again..
If you so much as make him sad..
This is no warning ..do not get me mad..
I will come after you like a mother scorned..
You will regret the day you were ever born...
I never gave my son special treatment..
I could not let the world win..
So I taught him to be strong..
to develope thick skin..
Middle school was no treat..
He had very few friends..
they all teased him..
called him names like blinky..
or worse..
But my son thank God
had developed his thick skin and ignored
their dreaded curse..
Until one day I got a call
from the principle of the school..
Seems my son went to lunch
as he walked in ..
the kids all stood up and started blinking..
thinking they were cool..
somehow some 50 teens
ended up on top of my son..
Now I was angry..
the war had really begun..
I asked Mr. Principle
what he intended to do..
with these fifty kids
who jumped my son at his middle school..
With his own admission
for nothing John had done..
His answer was nothing..
Nothing at all..
To punish the fifty
would only make the fight advance..
I was infuriated..
There is nothing we can do he claimed
to change this fact..
So tomorrow I said
I will come school with my son..
except I will be carrying a baseball bat.
He looked at me in shock..
You can't can't do that..
Then fix the problem asshole..
or I will be back!!
Needless to say my son was
transferred to a much better school
the very next day..
He still had his problems..
but at least manageable enough to stay..
He is seventeen now..
I let him get a GED
I thought he paid his dues ..
How much should one kid have to take..
because of ignorance.. and school mistakes..
Besides my Irish tap dance on these teachers desks..
were wearing me down..
God help who hurts my son again..
He has had his share of pain..
it is now time for it to end..
He has turned out much stronger..
Stronger than he should have to be..
I am proud of him and his patience
always explaining this disease..
So if you ever see a kid
acting a little strange.
Don't assume he is misbehaved..
He may very well have something..
that he cannot control..
Turn your head or simply ask..
it is better you should know.

Erica/Mom

To my son.. whom I admire and adore