Everyone in class agreed with what the psychology professor had said. Few would dare to blatantly argue with a college professor anyway, but in this case, his statement was true and the entire class could see that. Then, out of the corner of his eye he saw a girl shaking her head. It was Jamie-Grace, the 16-year-old college freshman. He called her out and asked if she disagreed with what he said. She couldn’t help but laugh. She didn’t disagree at all and didn’t even realize she was moving her head.

Jamie-Grace Harper has Tourette Syndrome (TS) and often involuntarily twitches. Due to a common misconception strengthened by movies, TV and comedy routines, many people think TS causes a person to shout obscenities. However, less than 10 percent of people who have TS have Coprolalia (involuntary swearing). Jamie-Grace was 9 years old when she first started to twitch, bending her arms and legs, squeezing her fingers and toes and squeezing her eyes shut for about four seconds. Although the tics were very frequent, she wasn’t diagnosed with Tourette until she was 11.

“Because it took me so long to figure out that it was Tourette, I thought I was just a peculiar kid,” Jamie-Grace says, “and I spent hours standing in front of the mirror learning how to disguise each of my tics.”

Not knowing what was wrong was tough. She often bumped into walls because she was shutting her eyes, and she would hit her parents or sister because of the rapid arm and leg movements. When the tics first started, Jamie-Grace remembers hitting her gymnastics instructor while she stood next to the balance beam. She quit shortly after, as her tics worsened.

There’s no specific medicine for TS, and Jamie-Grace spent a few years of her life being a guinea pig trying lots of different medicines. Some of them caused her to sleep for 20 hours at a time and others practically made her a zombie. However, because the tics are triggered by stress, her mom decided to look into vitamins for anxiety.

“I currently take Calm-U-Nat which is a vitamin that has no side effects,” Jamie-Grace says. “And while I still tic, it helps me with anxiety, which diminishes my tics. I love that.”

Homework Actually at Home
Jamie-Grace wasn’t homeschooled because of her TS, but she did find that being homeschooled was extremely helpful as she got older. “I was able to work at my own pace, and that made things so much easier for me,” she says.

“I did however, suffer some memory loss and still have difficulty in subjects such as math and science. Fortunately, my school, Atlanta Christian College, does an amazing job in helping me with test-taking, notes and tutoring.”

Homeschooling allowed Jamie-Grace and her sister to enter college at 16. But before entering college, she was blessed to discover music. At age 13, she and her sister were being tested for a fatal disease; fortunately the results came back negative. Nonetheless, it took at least a year to get the results, and during that time her granddad let the girls borrow his guitar and drum set.

“I’ve always loved to sing, but I didn’t realize my true passion for music until I was at a low point in life and music brought me so much joy,” she says. Jamie-Grace started on the drums and also picked up the guitar shortly before going to college.

The Music in Her
Last spring, Jamie-Grace toured with a national children’s ministry called iShine as their host and worship leader. She’s also a recurring actress on their weekly TV show. “I love to sing, play my instruments, act, make films, and I’m a motivational speaker. Ultimately, I want to make a difference and I want to share God’s love with my peers as well those who are younger and older,” she says. “If it’s through music, films or just being a living example of what God can do, I’m ready!”

Both of Jamie-Grace’s parents are in ministry, so she has always watched them serve. Consequently, she’s seen the hard times that o⁄ en come with full-time ministry, but she’s encouraged by remembering how God still works in the midst of trials.

“My parents are true servants, and that encourages me,” she says. “They also daily aÿ rm my sister and me to follow our dreams as long as we’re setting a Christian example to those around us.”

It takes a lot of work to follow your dreams daily. “Ultimately, it takes knowing God’s will for your life,” she says. “Having the desire to please Him and knowing He’ll give you the desires of your heart supplies an attitude to conquer anything.”

Depending on God
Having a medical condition that flares intermittently, Jamie-Grace has learned to rely on God’s presence and not her immediate situation. “Though I’ve had to cancel birthday parties and have missed some events with friends and family, God has always been there for me,” she says. “I’m reminded of God’s grace in 2 Corinthians 12:9. He tells me that He truly is sufficient for all my needs!”

Once while on tour with iShine, she lost her voice just before one of the biggest shows of the tour. But God orchestrated it in a way that some of the other singers came and led. “One of God’s children may be having a difficult time or be in a difficult situation, but He has a sweet way of working things out and making His presence known,” she says.

Jamie-Grace never thought of herself as an inspiration until she actually heard people say it. “I think others see the rough time I’ve been through medically and the intense smile I can never get to leave my face,” she said. “They see the twitches I can’t control and the desire I have to fix whatever seems broken. But what I hope they ultimately see is God working in me.”

God’s Faithfulness
When she was first diagnosed with TS and began taking all kinds of medicine, Jamie-Grace was convinced that God had forgo− en about her. “I knew He existed, but I didn’t feel Him. However, the first day I began to play drums, I played ‘Amazing Love’ by Newsboys and ‘Get Down’ by Audio Adrenaline. Every song I was learning to play was my testimony, and I didn’t even know it.”

Through hardships and joy, Jamie-Grace has learned that people will have a tough time accepting her if she doesn’t accept herself. “Without God, we’re nothing. However, once we let Him take over and have total front-seat advantage, it’s crazy how high the speedometer will go,” she says. “With God, we can pursue all of our dreams because He’s constantly pursuing us.”

More About Jamie-Grace
Jamie-Grace founded Teens with Tourette Syndrome. You can check out her website at www.teenswts.net. And because she’s also an aspiring filmmaker/musician, you can find many of her videos featuring her songs and education about TS on YouTube; just enter her name in the search bar.

Erin Shipps is a writer and editor living in Overland Park, Kan.