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PASSING FOR NORMAL Amy Wilensky tells a powerful first-hand account of living with Tourette syndrome and obsessive compulsive disorder. Amy Wilensky, at the age of 8 years old, began to have symptoms, first there was a tick; her head and neck would jerk. At first it was every once in a while, so Amy could conceal it sometimes. Then it started getting more intense, causing Amy pain in the form of headaches and a permanently stiff neck, and it became increasingly difficult to hide from anyone. When her father noticed the tics, he was angry. The worst was at mealtime. He would watch her like a sniper and would explode when there was even the slightest movement of her head or neck. He would say "you're head's going to fall off if you don't cut that out!" Things got worse for Amy. Her mind lurched and veered in ways she didn't understand; Amy felt that she must touch wood at all times to ward off harm, and that chewing a wad of stale gum would prevent a plane crash. She would save meaningless scraps of paper, and there were many other occurrences that made Amy feel that she was crazy. I believe that anyone can understand Amy's feelings at having a disease that was undiagnosed for years and what it makes you think of yourself and how it effects your whole life. I was so inspired by the amazing account of Amy's difficult life, and how she was able to make it to where she is today. A very courageous story. |