Only His Mom Believes Her Son is Telling The Truth

Added: 2026-05-21

[00:00:00]In class, I clamped down on my pencil.

[00:00:02]My legs started shaking uncontrollably.

[00:00:04]I wasn't going to be able to hold it in much longer.

[00:00:09]The teacher shot me a hard look and called me up to the front of the room, demanding to know what I was doing.

[00:00:16]But she didn't believe me. She made me apologize in front of the entire class and ordered me not to make another sound. I did what I was told, but the moment I sat back down, my body started acting up again.

[00:00:28]After school, the principal called my mom in. This time, he'd already decided to expel me. I kept telling him I wasn't trying to disrupt the class, but he said I was seriously interfering with the other students learning.

[00:00:38]Sorry, what did you say? He said he can't help it.

[00:00:41]Right. What if he's telling the truth?

[00:00:44]My mom fought for me, but even she could see that my noises were becoming more frequent. Trying to figure out what was wrong with me, she went to the library and started researching. Eventually, she found a case that matched my symptoms almost exactly. It was called Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disorder that causes repeated, rapid, involuntary muscle movements and vocal sounds. My mom took me to see a doctor right away, but the doctor told us there was no cure.

[00:01:04]>> This book says there's no cure.

[00:01:06]But that may have changed. This is an old book. That hasn't changed. This is current.

[00:01:10]That's when my mom broke down in tears.

[00:01:17]My name is Brad Cohen. I should have been just like any other kid, going to school, learning, fitting in. But because of Tourette's syndrome, I was kicked out of school again and again.

[00:01:24]Classmates laughed at me. Teachers misunderstood me. Even my own father couldn't understand what I was going through. He was always patient and affectionate with my younger brother, but with me, he seemed disappointed. I knew he didn't hate me. He hated the tics and the sounds I couldn't control.

[00:01:36]To keep me from losing hope, my mom took me to a Tourette's support group.

[00:01:39]Everyone there had the same diagnosis, but it showed up differently in each person. Some stomped their feet. Some jerked their necks. Some coughed non-stop. Watching them, I realized something painful. This is what I must look like to everyone else. Come on, Beau Beau. We're here to learn.

[00:01:52]Start learning. But the meeting didn't bring the encouragement we were hoping for. It was filled with frustration and anger. People talked like nothing would ever change. My mom didn't want me getting pulled into that kind of hopelessness, so she took me out of there. I'm really so sorry that I ruptured there, honey. I Let's just forget this. I don't want to forget this, Mom.

[00:02:08]Tourette's went. We're never going to do that.

[00:02:11]After transferring schools several times, I finally made it to middle school. The teasing only got worse, but it didn't stop me from wanting to learn.

[00:02:18]I chose to sit in the very back of the classroom, so I wouldn't distract anyone. But no matter where I sat, the sounds still came out.

[00:02:25]Eventually, I was asked to leave the room again. I thought this was it, that I was going to be forced out all over again. But instead, the principal asked me something unexpected. What do you think a school's for, Brad? I froze. No one had ever asked me that before.

[00:02:36]Seeing how nervous I was, he told me to attend the school's afternoon concert. I didn't want to go. I was terrified I'd ruin it, but he insisted. Sure enough, halfway through the concert, one of my vocal tics broke the silence. People started turning around to stare at me. I wanted to disappear. And then, suddenly, the principal called me up onto the stage in front of the entire school. You like making noises and upsetting people, Brad?

[00:02:54]No, sir. Then why do you do it?

[00:02:57]Because I have Tourette syndrome. What's that? It's a thing in my brain that causes me to make weird noises.

[00:03:03]But you could control it if you wanted to, right? No. No, sir. It's a sickness.

[00:03:08]Well, why can't you just get cured?

[00:03:10]There isn't any cure.

[00:03:12]I don't like making noises any more than you like hearing them. To clear up everyone's misunderstanding, I explained that I had Tourette syndrome, that it wasn't intentional, and that there was no cure. I was sure he was about to expel me in front of everyone. Instead, he asked me a question I'll never forget. What can we do to help you, Brad?

[00:03:28]I just want to be treated like everybody else.

[00:03:36]The auditorium went completely silent.

[00:03:38]The only things you could clearly hear were my footsteps and the sounds I couldn't hold back. But this time, there was no laughter. Instead, the entire school began to applaud. It was the first time in my life I truly felt accepted. In that moment, I finally understood something. School isn't just about academics. It's about teaching, understanding, respect, and compassion.

[00:03:54]And that was the day I made a decision.

[00:03:56]One day I would become a teacher.