WINDER, Ga. — Eleven-year-old Blake Desadier thought his mom was lying when she told him there were other kids like him with Tourette's syndrome.
Then he went to "Camp Twitch and Shout," a weeklong summer camp for children with Tourette's, a neurological disorder that makes people have different types of involuntary muscle movements or speech. The camp helps children embrace the disorder. Many of the counselors also have Tourette's.
"My mom wasn't lying to me about how many people have Tourette's," said Blake, who is from New Orleans. His face twitches and he clears his throat uncontrollably.
Blake is one of about 170 kids who attend the camp each year. It ended Friday.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke estimates 200,000 Americans have the most severe form of Tourette' syndrome. Symptoms are often worse in the early teens but improve into adulthood. Boys are affected more often than girls.
Audrey Vogel attended camp four years ago when she was 14. Now, she is a counselor in training.
"It was honestly one of the coolest moments in my life and, this sounds weird, but everyone was just ticcing," Vogel said of her first camp. "Kids were throwing themselves on the floor, they were screaming at the top of their lungs. I have a tapping tic where I have to tap people 8 times on the shoulder. No one even cares."
Vogel said the camp changed her life. She is now open to telling people about her condition.