McKenzie Westmore (ex-Sheridan, PASSION) has announced that she was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome when she 10 years old. Now the actress wants to raise awareness about the disorder. “Most people outgrow it when they’re teenagers, but I did not,” she explained to People.com. “Mine exhibits in vocal tics and in facial tics; I furrow my brows. I always had to lie and say that I had dust in my eyes, or if it’s the squeaking noise to try and distract people.” So as not to hurt her acting career, Westmore continued to hide her condition, and notes that her symptoms actually lessened when in front of the camera. However, after recently appearing in the short film, Goodbye Dessa for the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, Westmore decided to go public. “I looked at the Tourette’s community and saw that there was no face for this; nobody to speak on their behalf,” she pointed out. “I wanted to come out with this.” For the entire interview with People, click here. Goodbye Dessa can be viewed here.
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