According to the Daily Mail, 18-year-old Lewis Nickell from Northern Ireland has Tourette syndrome.
The condition is characterized by a mixture of voluntary noises and movements referred to as tics. Tics can be either physical or vocal.
Lewis was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome two years ago.
It started off as just a shoulder twitch but today he has verbal tics that cause him to have outbursts. Most of his verbal tics do contain some obscene or offensive language.
Some people who are unaware that he has Tourette think Lewis is being rude or joking around. Others just think swearing is the only component of having the condition.
Since he cannot always control his tics, he has not been able to go to family events with younger family members. He also had a problem with airport security when he yelled the word bomb. Lewis has had problems due to uncontrollable tics but has learned to make the best of it. Also, he admits that it can be a nightmare to do some of the simplest tasks but he tries to focus on the comical side of having tics.
Recently, he asked his older brother Stephen to record him using the water hose in the garden. The purpose of this video was to give people a good laugh while demonstrating how difficult it is for him to perform the simple task. Being on camera did make him even more nervous but it is bringing more awareness to what it is like living with Tourette’s syndrome. Additionally, he wants others to know that there is a serious side well beyond all the laughs.
Over four million people have watched the video and shared how much it has brightened their day. Watch the video here.
