Which career would you least expect a man with Tourette's to choose? Acting maybe? Surprisingly, acting is the career of choice for Gardiner Comfort who has had Tourette Syndrome from a very young age.
Reporter Colm Flynn met with Gardiner in New York to learn more about this condition. Tourette Syndrome, more commonly known as Tourette's, is a neurological disorder that causes both physical and verbal tics.
Gardiner was diagnosed with the disorder at the age of seven. He was five when his parents noticed that he had begun to develop tics and so brought him to a specialist.
"My mom tells me that I would do something where I would lick my fingers and moisten my lips with my finger…. but the throat clearing and the kind of sniffling stuff like that, have sort of come in and out throughout my life."
What comes to mind for most people when they think of Tourette's is random bursts of swearing. This is probably one of the biggest misconceptions about the disorder. It only affects ten percent of those with the condition. Comfort explains how it feels having Tourette's, saying that everyone's case is different and can change over time. He now knows how to deal with people's reactions to him, which can vary from being dismissive to being supportive.
"Sometimes you'll tell people and they'll say, you know, I've a friend who has Tourette's and it's different – I don't think you have it… Or people want to kind of like save you… It's amazing the people wanna come and fix your problem."
In high school, Gardiner was encouraged by his mother to audition for the school play and he got a part. He loved it from the get go and took part in more plays, and started to write his own material. He didn't let his disorder stop him from following his dream. If anything, it has really helped him with managing the disorder, giving him a focus which helps him to keep the tics at bay for a while. Gardiner feels that once he walks on stage his Tourette's just goes away because the acting comes naturally to him. Gardiner can now embrace the positives of having the disorder as it gives him a creative ability.
You can hear Colm's full chat with Gardiner, as well as the rest of Monday's Drivetime, here: