Please take the time to read this and give us some help!

Hi ladies,

Currently, one of our Belgian papers is giving one non-profit organisation the chance to win free advertising space. A jury selected 24 advertisements and we all get to pick one favorite! One of the non-profit organisations selected is the one for people who suffer from Tourette Syndrome. One of my friends' (Vera) late son (Robin) suffered from this disorder, and she is calling out for help! I would love for as much of my online friends to take a minute and vote. Voting will be possible until August 27th midnight Belgian time.

Here's the link:

http://www.standaard.be/ugc/photospecial/detail.aspx?id=8104d9a7-fe66-4965-be7b-c69effe8d310

Please click on the top link ‘Standaard Solidariteitsprijs’. When you open the link you can see beneath our green and white advertisement a Thumb-up icon. Just click on the yellow words next to it ( STEM OP DEZE FOTO). That's all, no registration, just two clicks!

In the rare case that the link doesn’t work you can go to www.destandaard.be/solidariteitsprijs and click on the red banner with the words "Bekijk de advertenties en stem", next you open the advertisement that starts with the word ‘Tourette’ (green letters on a white background) and then proceed as mentioned above.

Vera prepared a little text giving more information about Tourette's. Please take a minute to read this...

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder that affects 1 or 2 in every 100 persons. That’s a lot! There are mild cases and severe ones. Symptoms are in general at its worst in childhood and adolescence and tend to improve (but not disappear) in adulthood.
Symptoms are involuntary movements (for instance: shaking of the head, shoulder shrugging, eyeblinking, nose twitching, grimacing, etc.) + unwanted sounds and noises such as constant throat clearing, sniffing, hissing, but also shouting out nonsense words or loud ‘Hey!’s and ‘How!’s.

Most people think that Tourette's is about swearing, barking or the use of foul language. That’s because the media are always focusing on this aspect, it’s sensational. In fact, it’s a very, very rare symptom.

Children with TS are intelligent and also very sensitive. But they are often the victims of bullying, mockery, punishment and social isolation, because of their strange behavior, especially if they have no diagnose. And the diagnose is often missed by doctors, because they all think that you have to bark or swear in order to have Tourette’s, at least in Belgium that is the case. So in our country it is regarded as a conduct problem that requires a very strict home and school schedule with lots of reprimands and punishment. Dealing this way with TS, will unavoidably lead to depression, suicidal thoughts, desperation, worsening of ticks due to stress and finally a childhood ruined.
That’s what we are fighting against: to eliminate the myths and misunderstandings and teach the general public, med’s and teachers what Tourette’s really like, how to deal with it with respect and understanding, so these children can rely on the help, facilities or medication, that they are entitled to.

Thank you very much for reading this and for your vote! I appreciate your help!
Love xxx Peggy