As I get older and older I care less and less what the public thinks. I mean, who cares, after all? Someday, I'll just let rip....:
Former nightclub bouncer Paul Stevenson was busying himself as a stay-at-home dad when Tourette syndrome turned his life upside down at age 46.
Until the start of this year he had shown no signs of the expletive-laden and often "bizarre" outbursts which now form a constant part of his daily routine.
The father-of-three now shouts "I'm a gay man" as he wakes next to his wife in the morning and can't prevent himself from swearing in front of his young children.
...But the ex-doorman believes certain mild symptoms were not spotted in his youth and that his now severe condition was triggered by the trauma of his best friend committing suicide in March.
Mr Stevenson, of Scremerston, near Berwick, Northumberland, said: "He was like a brother to me, so the news of his death hit me really bad.
...In August he was finally diagnosed as having Tourette syndrome with Coprolalia, which is the form of the condition which involves involuntary swearing.
...Mr Stevenson, who is originally from Darwen in Lancashire, said he was determined to come to terms with the dramatic change in his life, despite admitting to a current reluctance to leave his home.
He said: "Other than attempting to suppress the urge, I have no control over what I'm going to say and the tic is like a lottery machine in that it just says what pops into your mind.
..."I was speaking to a police officer recently and shouted out 'I sell drugs to kids'.
"I realise that it is bizarre and that it can be humorous but I can despair at times.
"People have followed me in the street thinking it's funny and obviously some people just stare at you like you're from a different planet.
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