Rockland - Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes involuntary body movement called tics.

There's a family in Rockland who knows all too well about the syndrome, and now, they're hoping surgery, rarely used for Tourette's, will bring relief.


You can feel the love as soon as you walk in to the house.

" We sing as a family. That's one of the blessings God has given us," said Mary Wiebe.

This is a family that truly takes care of one another, even though it isn't always easy.

" It takes a lot of my time and energy because there's so much involved in it," said Wiebe, fighting back tears.

So much is involved because all four of her kids have Tourette's.

" They all started out with facial tics, which is where it starts, in their face," explained Wiebe.

" Most of the time it's a tic that we can't help. We try to stop tic-ing and it's like swallowing a hot coal that it just, it burns going down," added Caitlin Schesser, Wiebe's daughter.

Benjamin is the second oldest and he has the most severe case.

" He goes in there and sits in that chair and he reads and reads and reads and reads. That's all he can do and one time he couldn't even read because he couldn't hold the book," said Catherine LaCombe, the grandmother.

Benjamin sees a specialist in New York City and in less than two months, he's having a surgery that could change his life.

" Benjamin is the fifth person in the United States that I know of, to have Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Tourette's," said Wiebe.

The doctor saw Benjamin's YouTube page, and immediately knew he was someone who might benefit from Deep Brain Stimulation.

" They go in and they put two electrodes disks into each side of his brain and that's one surgery. The next day they put in two pace makers in his chest and they put the wires in his head and they run a signal to stop the tics from being so continuous," described Wiebe.

Like any surgery, it's a risk.

" Excited and scared, ya know, it's normal to be scared," said Benjamin Schesser.

This risk, could have great reward. It could help make this mom's dreams come true.

" I want to see him feel good about himself. I want to see him be able to accomplish something even as simple as sweeping the floor," said Wiebe.

We told you, this is a loving family. They even made us feel like part of it, and they want to help other families keep the faith.

" Just accept these people for who they are and don't judge them because they have Tourette's because they can't help it, " said Matthew Schesser.

" There are gonna be days when it's just hard to get up in the morning because you don't know how bad your tics are going to be and how little you're going to be able to do, but the thing is, to support eachother and not say negative things," added Caitlin.

" Learn about it more, try to seek help, and try to accept that you have this so you can help possibly someone else who is still in denial," said Benjamin.

No matter what happens, there's no doubt that these seven people will continue to smile, even when times are tough.


Benjamin's surgery is in December in New York.

It's expensive for the family to pay for all of the trip to New York and other medical needs, so there is a donation set up through First Bank in Rockland. If you'd like to donate, tell the bank it's for Ben's Cry for a Cure.

The surgery he is having is not FDA approved for Tourette's but the family says, it's their only option, because Benjamin's body has built a resistance to medications.

If you'd like to check out Benjamin's YouTube page, click here.

Print this Story