NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — We are just hours away from the St. Jude Rock 'N Roll Marathon. For one woman running in it, Saturday is about visibility and community for people on a similar journey.
"On my super long runs, I love to come to the Greenway," said Kristen Janson. "It's a super beautiful trailhead. There's water the whole time, some really great scenery."
Since January, Kristen's been training.
"So, my favorite place to come kayak is out here too," she smiled. "This is my second marathon. I ran my first one probably 10 years ago, actually as a bet from my husband. He said, 'I bet you can't do this.' I said, 'Watch me!'"
Soon, Kristen's going to be downtown running in the St. Jude Rock 'N Roll Marathon. She's ready.
"I hope so!" she laughed. "Fingers crossed! It's gonna be a hot one, so we'll see."
This marathon is part of a lifelong journey. It was last fall, she went to Vanderbilt to try to understand things she'd experienced her whole life.
"I was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome," Kristen said. "It was a shock and a relief. The very first tic I ever had, which is probably the most embarrassing one I ever had, I would pop myself in the face. Eye rolling is a pretty common tic I've had all my life, like a neck flexing and ear wiggling."
The diagnosis gave answers, but Kristen also found it isolating.
"I felt I was completely alone on my journey," she continued. "I did not know anybody else who had Tourette's."
That's why Kristen will be running with a group of other people diagnosed with Tourette's called Team Tourette. This is done through the Tourette Association of America. Team Tourette isn't just limited to what's happening in Nashville this weekend. Over the course of the year, they have about eight events nationwide. Across those events, there are about 750 people who take part.
"Peace, Love, and Tics is just kinda my mantra," Kristen said, showing both a hat and a bracelet with the mantra.
Kristen said the hope of Team Tourette is to raise awareness and provide community.
"It made me feel I wasn't as alone," she said. "I feel like I'm over the initial shock, and I'm in 'let's go get 'em, tiger' mode, and it feels really good. It's really exciting."
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Growing your family, no matter the journey to get there, is an emotional one. My heart aches for these families who trusted a Nashville fertility clinic with their dreams and finances. Hannah McDonald's relentlessness to find answers is journalism at its best and hopefully a new avenue of hope for the patients caught up in this mess.
-Carrie Sharp
