Denise C. Burke: Rude shopper is lucky I wasn't with my husband that day

To The Daily Sun,

My husband has Tourette’s, sadly not the swearing one. He has uncontrollable spams, all day long. He doesn’t like it and wishes he never had it. There is no cure and he has had it since he was a young child. He has been bullied and picked on most of his life, including as an adult. He see’s you looking and so do I.

He can have arm movements, similar to shrugging your shoulders. Sometimes, he blinks in a rapid motion. But, mostly he makes a "hiss" sound through his lips. None of this he can control and if he gets nervous or stressed, it amps up even more.

My husband, to me, is a blessing. I love him dearly and I would do anything for him. He is kind and generous to everyone! So, that’s why I am extremely upset with some elderly "bat" that was in Shaw’s recently. As he was shopping she was QUICK to point out his "hiss" issue. She accused him of spitting all over her and the store. He said he had Tourette’s and he could not help it and even apologized for it. But, this gem continued on her rant and left him feeling humiliated. He was very upset when he got home.

I would like to say that normally I go with him, she was very lucky I was not there. Because, I can assure you there would have been a clean-up in the aisle! I hope to see Ms. Perfect for myself someday, because NO ONE puts MY baby in a corner!

"There are something’s money just can’t buy, like manners, morals, and intelligence." — Best Status Message

Denise C. Burke

Gilford