Local Student Chooses to Live Life Out Loud - Grayslake, IL Patch

"My name is Bradley Wilinski, I am 10 years old and I live in Gurnee, Illinois. When I was in first grade I started making noises and having movements I did not want to have.  I started seeing a doctor who told me that I have Tourette's syndrome."

These are the opening words of a speech written and spoken by a Woodland Intermediate 4^th grader at the recent Tourette Syndrome Association annual dinner in New York.  Bradley was there to honor Ariel Small, a Highland Park high school student who also has Tourette's and who has served as a mentor and spokesperson for the disease.   

Because of Ariel's understanding and support, Bradley has been able to overcome much of the anxiety associated with the disease and develop strategies to cope with the situation.  Like his role model, Bradley has come to understand the value and importance of communicating his condition to those around him, so that they are not concerned or frightened by his unexpected behaviors.   

A documentary currently being produced by Hour Glass Productions in Chicago about Tourette syndrome and the success Ariel Small and his family have had coping with the condition will also include Bradley and his family.  PBS station WENT in New York has expressed an interest in running the documentary.

Tim and Jan Wilinski, Bradley's parents, are naturally his biggest supporters.  Despite having been born with a heart defect and experiencing a stroke during or shortly after the heart surgery to repair his heart, Bradley is a testament to his parent's love and determination to see their son succeed.  The Wilinski family has lived with the unpredictable nature of the syndrome since Bradley was diagnosed just before entering first grade. 

"It is difficult because it continually changes. Earlier in this school year Bradley started making a non-stop fire engine noise to the point where he could not attend school.  His teachers sent the work home which made it a lot easier for him," said Jan Wilinski.  Woodland Intermediate works closely with the Wilinskis regarding Bradley's situation. "We get together with the teachers and talk on the phone regularly about any issues or activities that might help," she added.

"Bradley is in a regular classroom and has a special education resource teacher assigned as case manager.  We have a contingency plan just as you would if someone had epilepsy," said Donna VandenBroek, director of Special Education. 

Principal Michael Witkowski spoke with the entire school faculty at the start of the school year to make them aware of Bradley's condition. "We wanted to make sure everyone understood the condition and did not misinterpret the behavior for misbehaving," he said. 

It is not hard for Bradley to tell others about his condition. "I tell the other kids in my classes or my teacher tells them to help them understand.  I say I have something I can't control, sort of like hiccups or sneezing.  It's called tics or Tourette's.  I can't help it."  The hardest part of having Tourette's "is trying to do schoolwork and I kick my desk and then it's a little hard to concentrate," he said.   

One of the most successful strategies for preventing or stopping the tics is exercise.  "Bradley and  I often run the track at Warren High School and play basketball," Tim Wilinski said.

"I don't have the tics when I'm exercising," Bradley said. Sometimes at home, I ride the treadmill or at school I take a short quick walk and it helps."  

Breathing techniques help relieve the anxiety that can trigger the tics, but do not always work "because I don't always know when they're coming," Bradley said.  

Bradley is in many ways living the life of a young man without Tourette's.  He is on a local church basketball team and takes yoga classes, but he and his parents emphasize the key is to let everyone involved know about the condition so they are aware of what he may experience.  

Bradley feels good about being included in the documentary "because it will help with Tourette's so other people will know about it and won't make fun of other people for it," he said.  

via grayslake.patch.com