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District 50 student chosen as Tourette’s youth ambassador

Bradley Wilinski and his family are gearing up for their visit to Washington, D.C., in March.

That’s because the Woodland Middle School sixth-grader was recently selected as the Tourette’s Youth Ambassador for Illinois 2013 by the Tourette’s Syndrome Association.

As part of this honor, Bradley will join other Youth Ambassadors from across the country. He will attend training sessions on becoming a speaker for the Tourette’s Association.

Once his training is complete, Bradley will be called upon to visit schools and organizations to promote awareness and acceptance of Tourette’s syndrome.

Tourette’s syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes individuals to have tics; movements and sounds they can’t control. Tics can range from mild to severe and can come and go, or change over time, making it a very unpredictable disease.

In 2010, Bradley spoke to more than 300 people about the challenges he faces as someone with Tourette’s syndrome. Last year, Bradley was featured as part of a documentary about Tourette’s syndrome.

“I like to speak to people so they won’t make fun of people with Tourette’s, and help them understand that it’s OK to be different,” Bradley said.

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