Wednesday, August 25, 2010

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

16 comments:

  1. Mijn stem is binnen, heel veel suc6 verder!!

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  2. I just gave my vote on the standaard site Peggy.. good luck!

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  3. Ik heb gestemd!
    Lief van je, dat je dit doet!
    Lijkt me vreselijk om aan deze ziekte te lijden..

    XXXJenneke

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  4. Oh wow Peggy. That is a wonderful thing to do. I'll be sure to come back here and vote on Friday!

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  5. off to vote! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)

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  6. Lieve Peggy; ik ben gaan stemmen. Ik ken dit syndroom van tv en het lijkt me heel zwaar als je hier aan lijdt of als je ouder bent van een kind met TS. Attent dat je dit voor je vriendin doet! Ik wens haar en haar zoon heel veel sterkte toe.

    Groetjes, Angèle

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  7. Just did it!
    Good luck Peggy and a big hugh to you for helping your friend Vera and her son Robin!

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  8. ik hop nu gelijk over naar de stem-site!

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  9. Ik heb gestemd hoor, lief van je om dat te doen!!

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  10. Ook ik heb net gestemd! Wat ben je toch een lieverd om hier even onze aandacht voor te vragen!!

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  11. Meteen even gestemd! Veel succes verder.

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  12. Sorry, dacht dat ik gestemd had... Maar was net iets te laat. Vind het wel een heel erg goed doel, GT leidt vaak tot onbegrip. Het is niet altijd meteen zichtbaar of duidelijk, en wens je veel succes!

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  13. I think I did it right! :) Great idea, I teach students with this syndrome and we need more awareness in Australia too. Good luck!

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  14. Kan het nog? Het lukt me niet...

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  15. Goed van je om dit onder de aandacht te brengen!

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  16. Hi Penny, I just saw your comment on my layout on Artastic and wanted to say thank you but then read this amazing post, wish I had found it earlier so I could have voted for it. Let me know when to vote if ever the chance arises again, I will join your blog to keep in touch. Love Melxx

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