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Community Corner

Tourette Syndrome parents in Morris County urged to "make a connection"

DENVILLE – Parents of children with Tourette Syndrome and other associated neurological disorders often find it extremely difficult to locate, get to know and ultimately bond with other families struggling to mitigate through similar circumstances.

The Tourette Syndrome Association of New Jersey, in collaboration with the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome & Associated Disorders (NJCTS), is seeking to bridge and hopefully eliminate that gap by introducing the NJCTS Parent Connection – a bi-monthly meeting designed to provide face-to-face discussion, encouragement, friendship and networking for TS families through focusing on coping strategies.

Tourette Syndrome is an inherited, misdiagnosed, misunderstood neurological disorder that affects 1 in 100 children, and living with it on a daily basis often can be very complicated and frustrating for fathers and mothers. The NJCTS Parent Connection aims to change that this fall, beginning with the debut of the NJCTS Parent Connection at Morris/Sussex on Thursday, September 12, at St. Clare’s Hospital, 25 Pocono Road in Denville. Taking place from 7 to 8:30 p.m., the NJCTS Parent Connection at Morris/Sussex also will occur on November 7, January 2, March 13 and May 8.

“Parents of children with Tourette Syndrome often express the need to connect with other families in their area,” NJCTS Family Outreach and Volunteer Coordinator Leanne Loewenthal said. “The NJCTS Parent Connection is an opportunity to get to know parents nearby and share the joys and challenges of living with a child diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. A support network of others is vital to a family’s success, so we hope all TS families in the Morris/Sussex county area ‘make a connection’ as soon as possible.”

The NJCTS Parent Connection has four other regional locations throughout New Jersey:

  • Middlesex County: JFK Medical Center in Edison
  • Somerset County: Somerset Medical Center in Somerville
  • Atlantic County: Richard Stockton College in Galloway
  • Burlington County: Virtua Hospital in Marlton

For more information about the NJCTS Parent Connection at Morris/Sussex or one of the other four groups, or to request a group in another New Jersey county, please contact Leanne Loewenthal at 908-575-7350 or LLoewenthal@njcts.org. As a NJCTS Parent Connection date approaches, please stay tuned to www.njcts.org for updates on if the group still will take place on that date.

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