When it comes to individuals battling depression, Logan was probably more the norm…very private. Yet, what I then learned was how their friendship would impact Joseph’s life forever. They were mostly about their tics, school, and activities. Joseph described their friendship as a good one, and their conversations were what we might consider typical. Logan was popular: senior class president, a school news anchor, and captain of his school swim team. Together, Logan and Joseph started the first Tourette syndrome awareness club at their school. When Joseph was first diagnosed with Tourette’s, he was connected to another young man also with Tourette’s in his school named Logan. I knew that he loved science and research, yet it was what I learned about his personal journey that was most impactful. I found out that he was also awarded 4th in the category of Biomedical and Health Sciences at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix as well. He had won a grand prize at the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair. I recently viewed a post of Joseph’s on LinkedIn that peaked my interest to learn more about his successes as a young man with Tourette’s. What I have come to learn about Joseph’s experiences over the last few years has given me some insight into the struggles and strengths of today’s teens and young adults.įor over 12 years now I have been working with and surrounded by the Tourette syndrome community. The next time I saw Joseph was at her wedding. ![]() Joseph was not able to get back to our camp again, yet we continued to stay connected through his sister Mary Grace. ![]() He seemed surprised, and then just smiled and went about his day. The next time I saw Joseph I made sure to mention that he was identified by one of his peers as someone that they looked up to. He was a good kid, and had a smile on his face each time I saw his group. Up to that point, Joseph was flying under the radar. At the end of our conversation I asked him: “Who in your cabin do you see as a role model.someone you could watch and learn from over the rest of the week?” Without hesitation the camper said “Joseph Sexton.” I remember one particular incident involving a young teenage boy. ![]() In my position at a camp for children with a diagnosis of Tourette syndrome (TS), I had several opportunities to have difficult conversations with our campers.
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