"May T.S. kami"

Episode on May 5, 2008 Monday night after Saksi I-Witness’ Sandra Aguinaldo with Seve Valenzuela, an 8-year old who suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome. Whenever Jerome goes out in public, strangers point and laugh at him, mistake him for a lunatic, or worse, a drug addict. He gets all this unwanted attention because of his tics. Jerome has Tourette’s Syndrome or TS, a neuropsychiatric disorder distinguished by the presence of motor and vocal tics. Jerome’s case is so severe, his motor tics have caused his right eye to go blind. Less than 1% of all children are born with Tourette’s, which usually affects the male population. There is as yet no known cure. This Monday on I-Witness, Sandra Aguinaldo meets Jerome and others who suffer from this mysterious disorder. Just last January, 8-year old Seve Valenzuela was diagnosed with Tourette’s. Seve has both vocal and motor tics, which normally manifest when he gets bored. Constant hiccups and muscle tension build up, causing difficulties in his speech and body movement. To keep him occupied, Seve’s parents have enrolled him in several sports. Sandra also meets Admer, who works as a waiter at a fastfood chain in Tagaytay. Most of Admer’s salary goes to his treatment, a daily dose of tranquilizers that keep his tics from manifesting. Because he lives far from the city, Admer does not have a support group to help him in his struggle. Jerome, Seve and Admer share their experiences with Tourette’s Syndrome in this touching I-Witness documentary, airing Monday late night over GMA-7. The episode is hosted and written by New York Festivals Gold and Silver Medalist Sandra Aguinaldo.

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Sa tuwing lalabas si Jerome, madalas siyang mapagkamalang baliw o ‘di kaya’y adik. Sentro siya ng atensyon sa mga pampublikong lugar, pinagtitinginan at pinagtatawanan. Lahat ng ito, dahil sa isang sakit na kahit siya, hindi maintindihan. May Tourette’s Syndrome o T.S. si Jerome, isang karamdaman na nagsasanhi ng inboluntaryong paggalaw at pagsasalita. Kadalasan, mga lalaki ang naaapektuhan nito. Nang dahil sa kanyang mga motor tics, nabulag ang isang mata ni Jerome. Sa dokumentaryo ni Sandra Aguinaldo ngayong Lunes, makikilala niya ang mga mukha sa likod ng misteryosong sakit na ito. Nitong Enero lang ng taong ito nadiskubre na may Tourette’s Syndrome ang walong taong gulang na si Seve Valenzuela. Vocal at motor tics ang dinaranas ng bata, tulad ng pagsinok at paninigas ng katawan, na lumalabas tuwing siya’y nababagot. Bukod sa Tourette’s, may Anxiety Syndrome si Seve. Dahil wala pang lunas ang sakit na ito, napagdesisyunan ng kanyang mga magulang na itutok na lang sa sports ang atensyon ni Seve. Makikilala rin ni Sandra si Admer, waiter sa isang fastfood chain sa Tagaytay. Sariling kayod ang ginagawa ni Admer para matustusan ang ginagamit niyang tranquilizer, na pampakalma sa kanyang mga tics. Dahil sa Cavite nakatira, walang support system na malapitan si Admer tungkol sa kanyang TS. Ngayong Lunes sa I-Witness, kilalanin sina Jerome, Seve, Admer at iba pang tulad nilang “May T.S." kasama ang New York Festivals Gold at Silver Medalist na si Sandra Aguinaldo.