This Driver With Tourette Syndrome Wants You to Know It's Safe to Ride With Him

A Grab driver who has been diagnosed with Tourette syndrome wants other passengers to know that having this condition does not make it unsafe to ride with him.

Marlon Fuentes, 44, shared on Facebook the reaction of one of the passengers who booked his vehicle and saw the sign behind the driver's seat that says "I have a Tourette syndrome. Hope you understand my condition."

"The ride was so smooth. He was a good driver. I've had my fair share of unpleasant experiences with kaskasero Grab car drivers but he's one of the best so far," the passenger said of his experience with Fuentes as his driver.

"Nakakatuwa naman," Fuentes said on his Facebook page that has over one million followers. The post has more than 127,000 reactions, mostly hearts, since it was posted on September 13.

Driver Marlon Fuentes on Dealing with Tourette's Syndrome

Fuentes has been a Grab driver since 2019, and his advocacy of letting others know about his neurological disorder prompted him to start vlogging, as reflected on his Facebook page named "Marlon Tourette Vlog."

"Para mas lumawak ang kaalaman o pagkilala ng iba sa mga kagaya ko at maipakita kung ano ang mga kayang gawin at nagagawa ng mga tao na katulad ko, at maipakita din ang mga nae-experience ko sa ibang tao sa pagkakaroon ko nito, kung paano nila ako natatanggap o nauunawaan," he told SPOT.ph.

When facing a passenger, the father of three kids said "ipinapaliwanag ko po sa kanila at sinasabi na safe sila sa aking biyahe."

"In his 19 years of driving, Marlon Fuentes' Tourette Syndrome has not hindered him from providing quality service to his passengers. Many have doubted his capabilities because of his disability. However, these challenges only strengthened and inspired him to work hard and not let his condition define him," Grab Philippines said in a Facebook post in 2019.

In case Fuentes' story sounds familiar, it may be because you've watched his story unfold in ABS-CBN drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya back in 2018, with Joseph Marco playing the part of Fuentes. Maybe you've seen him on FPJ's Batang Quiapo, too!

What is Tourette Syndrome?

Tourette syndrome is a movement disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrolled rapid repetitive twitches or unwanted sounds called tics. When this happens, the person cannot stop their body from doing so.

It usually starts manifesting between ages five and 10 generally in the head and neck area before it progresses to other parts of the body like arms, torso, and legs, according to the U.S. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Males are three to four times more likely than females to develop Tourette syndrome, Mayo Clinic said.

Simple motor tics may include eye blinking and other eye movements, facial grimacing, shoulder shrugging, and/or head or shoulder jerking. Simple vocal tics may include repetitive throat clearing, sniffing, barking, and/or grunting.

If it becomes more complex, it may include facial grimacing combined with other movements. Some may even start sniffing or touching objects, hopping, jumping, bending, or twisting. Some may even gesture obscenely.

While there is no cure for Tourette syndrome, it can be managed by treating the symptoms, NINDS said.

"Many people with Tourette syndrome don't need treatment when symptoms aren't troublesome. Tics often lessen or become controlled after the teen years," Mayo Clinic said.

While having Tourette may be difficult for some, it's also true that many people with Tourette can still live full lives, according to Tourette Association of America.

Don't believe it? Take multi-hyphenated Gen Z superstar Billie Eilish who was diagnosed with Tourette at age 11.

"I never don't tic at all, because the main tics that I do constantly, all day long, are like, I wiggle my ear back and forth and raise my eyebrow and click my jaw ... and flex my arm here and flex this arm, flex these muscles. These are things you would never notice if you're just having a conversation with me, but for me, they're very exhausting," she told David Letterman on Netflix's "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction."

"I have made friends with it. And so now, I'm pretty confident in it."

From: SPOT.ph