Growing up can be challenging for most children. It is always more challeging after being diagnosed with a condition that will never go away.
Curtis Davis, a 20-year-old student attending Lynn University, was disganosed with Tourettes Syndrome at the age of six.
"I was so young and didn't reall know what was going on," said Davis.
Tourettes Syndrome is not common and most people are not educated about the conditon.
Steven and Patrice Davis, the parents of Curtis, did not know how to react as they received the news.
Davis' mother said, "We were concerned about how he was going to be treated as he got older."
The doctor told Davis and his parents that Tourettes Syndrome is "a disorder characterized by physical tics and vocalizations that are involuntary."
Davis was certainly too young to completely understand what was going on with his body, which made it more difficult for his brother to comprehend.
Harrison Davis, Davis' younger brother, was not sure what Tourettes was.
"I can only remember the times when Curtis had Tourettes so I don't know him any differently," said Davis' brother.
"It never seemed weird to me,"said Davis' brother.
More than just Davis' family was affected by the diagnosis.
Ben Cantwell, one of Davis' friends, can recall when he first met Davis and witnessed some of Davis' tics.
"It was really scared," said Canwell. "I had no idea what was going on and I thought there was something wrong with him."
Cantwell wasn't the only person to look at Davis' condition strangely.
Davis had gone to a small, Catholic elemtary school until it was time to move onto high school.
He attended Central Catholic High School where he would meet hundreds of new kids and be surrunded by unfamiliar faces.
"I was nervous to go to a bigger school where no one knew me and had no idea about my Tourettes," said Davis.
"I just wanted people to accept me for who I am," said Davis.
In elemtary and middle school, Davis' peers were well-informed about Tourettes and what it is.
People learned to get used to the tics and loud noises.
High school would be a different story.
"I was really nervous for Curtis when he went to Central," said Davis' brother. "Kids can be really mean."
At first, Curtis got strange looks and heard that people thought he was "weird" or "retarded."
Davis' father said, "Curtis has really intense coughing fits that can last minutes at a time."
It took some time before students got accustomed to the tics, loud vocalizations, and coughing.
"I just want people to know what Tourettes really is," said Davis.
"I always have to correct people when they think Tourettes is the 'swearing disorder,'" said Davis.
Awareness is being raised through Davis' actions.
"I've created a Facebook group called 'The Basic Understanding of Tourettes Syndrome,'" said Davis.
This group has been messaged to all of his 700+ friends in order to help them understand the condition, learn more, and become involved in reaching out to others.
"It means a lot to me that so many people are supporting me through this group," said Davis.
Being diagnosed at the age of six was not the hardest part of this medical journey for Davis.
Meeting new people and being put in awakward situations was the tough part.
"I will never forget all of the hardships I've had to face every day from having Tourettes," said Davis.
Even though he knows his life hasn't been the easiest, he refuses to let Tourettes defeat him.
"I can do anything that anyone without Tourettes can do," said Davis. "I won't let it discourage me."
Not only is Davis teaching others about Tourettes Syndrome, he is working towards an even bigger goal.
"I want to work on making a Relay for Life for Tourettes, just like the Relay for Life for cancer," said Davis.
Davis already knows that he has the support of his friends and family.
"We will do anything to support his dreams about raising awareness for others and trying to help other people that have Tourettes," said Davis' mother.
His goals don't stop there.
Davis plans to eventually graduate school with a degree in Administration of Law and work towards becoming a special agent for the DEA.
Davis said, "I've never been afraid of Tourettes and I'm never going to be."
Davis has already been successful in his endeavors as a student and football player at Lynn and hopes to continue on this path.
"Tourettes wasn't going to stop me."
Monday, March 30, 2009
Future of Journalism
I hope to use journalism as a way to write featured stories more than news stories. I don't particularly enjoy writing only the facts of an event and reporting them; I struggle trying to not put myself into news articles. Becoming a journalist and writing about past experiences will allow me to make people laugh, cry, get angry, disagree, become passionate, or get involved. Writing, for me, has never been about telling the news, but about self expression and entertainment for my audience. I can contribute my personal stories for other people to relate to. The future is making it easier for more exciting opportunities to meet new people and learn about things that no one ever thought of. I am also not opposed to the idea of being in the middle of all the "glitz and glam" in Hollywood or New York. For me, that's living the journalismn dream. Obviously journalism can be fun, but I can contribute to the business through my hard work and determination to make people want to read again and be entertained while doing so.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
NY Times 3/23-3/26
Monday: Plane crashes while bringing children and adults on a skiing vacation to Montana from California. As of now, 14 people were killed, but there may be a final result of 17 deaths.
Tuesday: Four women who were missing in Albuquerque were found. The remains of the prostitutes were found by a women walking her dog.
Wednesday: In Pelham, NY, schools are making changes to report cards that parents are questioning. Instead of being graded with letters, now marks are made using numbers.
Thursday: Drug companies are making huge profits through RealAge. Drugs are sold to members who are convinced they need medication after taking quizes and questionaires online.
Tuesday: Four women who were missing in Albuquerque were found. The remains of the prostitutes were found by a women walking her dog.
Wednesday: In Pelham, NY, schools are making changes to report cards that parents are questioning. Instead of being graded with letters, now marks are made using numbers.
Thursday: Drug companies are making huge profits through RealAge. Drugs are sold to members who are convinced they need medication after taking quizes and questionaires online.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
NY Times 3/9-3/12
Monday: Discussion about stem cells are being left to Congress. The big question is: should the taxpayer's dollar be used to research and experiment on embryos.
Tuesday: Because of the recession, people are giving up their luxuries to help others in need of help during the economic recession. Cars are being given away to less fortunate families and women are using old clothes in their closets instead of spending money on new dresses.
Wednesday: Greg Hayworth and his family are now living in a motel room because their house was taken from them by the bank.. This economy crisis is leaving other families without a place to live while some have to resort to motels as temporary housing.
Thursday: Papers such as The Rocky Mountain News and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer no longer exist. The last issue of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer will be the last next week. Papers are being downsized across the country. What is happening to newswriting?
Tuesday: Because of the recession, people are giving up their luxuries to help others in need of help during the economic recession. Cars are being given away to less fortunate families and women are using old clothes in their closets instead of spending money on new dresses.
Wednesday: Greg Hayworth and his family are now living in a motel room because their house was taken from them by the bank.. This economy crisis is leaving other families without a place to live while some have to resort to motels as temporary housing.
Thursday: Papers such as The Rocky Mountain News and The Seattle Post-Intelligencer no longer exist. The last issue of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer will be the last next week. Papers are being downsized across the country. What is happening to newswriting?
Monday, March 9, 2009
New Disciplines Cause Havoc in Schools
The city of Portsmouth debated whether or not Saturday classes will help students who don’t behave.
During the meeting held on Monday, Jan. 24, parents and students speak out against the possibility of this new punishment.
Tim Steele, a School Board member, wishes to approve this motion.
Saturday morning classes would run from 8 a.m. until noon several weekends of the year.
This new disciplinary action raises issues for both parents and students.
Peggy Bacon, a parent, said, “I work six days a week—including Saturday morning—and it’s bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday.”
Parents may be affected because it makes it harder on their work schedule. Providing transportation for their children may be more difficult.
“Why should I have to worry about Saturday as well? Why do we need change?” said Bacon.
Parents will have to pay for these classes; it doesn’t offer much incentive.
“I just don’t think it’s going to make any difference, and the parents are going to pay for it – in higher taxes as well as in ruined Saturdays,” said Bacon.
Steele thinks these classes will reduce the number of in-house suspensions, which are given automatically for students caught smoking on the property of Portsmouth High School.
“I know this isn’t good news for parents, but I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make the students think twice before breaking the school rules,” said Steele.
Five High school students attended the meeting, one of which was a senior, Lisa Gallagher.
Gallagher said, “I don’t like this idea. I think it’s just being done to make life easier for the faculty. What if someone skips the session? What are they going to do, make them stay all weekend?”
Steele said, “If a student skips Saturday School, he or she will not be allowed to return to school until the detention has been served.”
Bob Farley, a resident of 64 Elm St. agreed with Steele.
“Maybe if they [students] have to miss a few Saturday morning cartoons they’ll start wising up,” said Farley.
After a 30 minute discussion, the board voted 5-3, with one member abstaining, to table the issue until the next meeting on March 7.
Steele agreed to return to the next meeting with figures on in-school detentions so far this year.
The board continued to discuss the leaves of absence requested by four teachers, the impact of federal budget cuts on school lunch menus and the approvals of several school department and food service bills amounting to $13,568.
During the meeting held on Monday, Jan. 24, parents and students speak out against the possibility of this new punishment.
Tim Steele, a School Board member, wishes to approve this motion.
Saturday morning classes would run from 8 a.m. until noon several weekends of the year.
This new disciplinary action raises issues for both parents and students.
Peggy Bacon, a parent, said, “I work six days a week—including Saturday morning—and it’s bad enough to get my son off to school Monday through Friday.”
Parents may be affected because it makes it harder on their work schedule. Providing transportation for their children may be more difficult.
“Why should I have to worry about Saturday as well? Why do we need change?” said Bacon.
Parents will have to pay for these classes; it doesn’t offer much incentive.
“I just don’t think it’s going to make any difference, and the parents are going to pay for it – in higher taxes as well as in ruined Saturdays,” said Bacon.
Steele thinks these classes will reduce the number of in-house suspensions, which are given automatically for students caught smoking on the property of Portsmouth High School.
“I know this isn’t good news for parents, but I hope the threat of Saturday classes will make the students think twice before breaking the school rules,” said Steele.
Five High school students attended the meeting, one of which was a senior, Lisa Gallagher.
Gallagher said, “I don’t like this idea. I think it’s just being done to make life easier for the faculty. What if someone skips the session? What are they going to do, make them stay all weekend?”
Steele said, “If a student skips Saturday School, he or she will not be allowed to return to school until the detention has been served.”
Bob Farley, a resident of 64 Elm St. agreed with Steele.
“Maybe if they [students] have to miss a few Saturday morning cartoons they’ll start wising up,” said Farley.
After a 30 minute discussion, the board voted 5-3, with one member abstaining, to table the issue until the next meeting on March 7.
Steele agreed to return to the next meeting with figures on in-school detentions so far this year.
The board continued to discuss the leaves of absence requested by four teachers, the impact of federal budget cuts on school lunch menus and the approvals of several school department and food service bills amounting to $13,568.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
NY Times 3/2-3/5
Monday: Because of the poor economy, colleges, such as State University of New York, are concerned about more and more students accepting their college acceptances. Hopefully, students will find less expensive state schools more appealing.
Tuesday: Technology, especially cameras and the Internet, are becoming more useful in the justice system. The Supreme Court has watched a brutal police attack on a victim. Watching these videos gives the courts and jurors a better idea of how to make a final decision.
Wednesday: Studies show that smoking is significantly more harmful for Obese teenagers. Comparisons have been made between men who are of average weight in the military with the weight of an obese person. Quitting smoking can reduce increase a smoker's lifespan.
Thursday: There is a dispute about whether or not President Obama should dye his hair. After being in office for forty-four days, it has become noticeably grayer since he first started campaigning.
Tuesday: Technology, especially cameras and the Internet, are becoming more useful in the justice system. The Supreme Court has watched a brutal police attack on a victim. Watching these videos gives the courts and jurors a better idea of how to make a final decision.
Wednesday: Studies show that smoking is significantly more harmful for Obese teenagers. Comparisons have been made between men who are of average weight in the military with the weight of an obese person. Quitting smoking can reduce increase a smoker's lifespan.
Thursday: There is a dispute about whether or not President Obama should dye his hair. After being in office for forty-four days, it has become noticeably grayer since he first started campaigning.
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