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Page 14 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE December 5, 1986
Sammy Lee Rnaanharg
‘Tough times don’t last’ for young Atlantan
by Caroly n Gold
“Look out. world, here comes
Sammy Lee!” That’s how Sammy
Lee Rosenberg ended one of his
poems and that's how he starts
every day.
After fighting his way back
from two near-tragic setbacks,
Sammy, who suffers from Tour-
ette Syndrome, says he's feeling
better and better. Tourette. or
TS. is a rare neurological dis
order which is characterized by
repetitive jerking movements
called "tics” and sometimes by
involuntary vocal sounds. It may
cause inappropriate language and
behavior.
The etiology of the disorder is
neurochemical. The condition,
once thought to be emotional, is
purely physical, but its effects
can be socially and emotionally
painful.
Sufferers often complain of
exhaustion from the sheer ex
penditure of energy in trying to
hold back tics. TS does not
affect intelligence, and though
there is no known cure, medica
tion can help control the symp
toms. Sammy’s personal philo
sophy is possibly his best medi
cine.
This handsome college student,
soon to be 21, is quick with
answers, humorous observations,
and mottos to live by. He recites
his own special motivation: “Life
goes on it never stops; tough
times don’t last, but tough people
end up on top.”
To his idol and best friend at
college, Marc Coopersmith. he
attributes the inspiration that has
helped in the hardest times, “You
must never surrender.”
A year ago Sammy spent more
than six weeks in the hospital but
in January he was back in school,
Curry College in Milton, Mass.
Mark Fisher of Atlanta’s Jewish
Vocational Service recommended
the small liberal arts school to
Sammy. The young student now'
describes Curry as “a little heaven
w'ith a big family.”
“It’s a place where you can be
yourself, be comfortable and go
at your own pace.” And go he
has—Sammy was class president
for his first 2Vi years. After his
illness he resigned, thinking it
would relieve him of some pres
sure, and he became a represen
tative to student government.
Curry has a support program
for students with learning dis
abilities. Sammy declares that “it
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lifts your morale to go there
because it’s such a good school.”
Besides his family and friends at
home, Sammy thinks Curry “played
the most vital role in getting me
well last winter.”
The Southern Israelite re
ported at the time how Sammy's
room was filled with greeting
cards. People he didn't even know
became interested in his illness.
A benefit dinner was organized
for Tourette Syndrome. Sammy
was honored by a proclamation
from Gov. Dukakis and the mayor
called him an asset to his school
and community.
Everything went fine with his
studies during the remainder of
last year. But as summer ap
proached Sammy says he became
nervous and anxious about his
friends graduating and leaving.
The anxiety caused more tics and
by summer he felt a relapse com
ing on. In addition, the medica
tion he was on was making him
weak.
A counselor’s job aw'aited him
at Camp Barney Medintz. Sammy
attended orientation week and
found the staff very supportive.
However, he hesitated. “I was to
work with young children and I
didn’t want to upset or scare
them.”
He came home and went to his
friend. Dr. Lyndon Waugh, and
said he needed to go to the hospi
tal. During his first setback
Sammy’s tics had been so com
pulsive he caused cataracts in his
eyes from the trauma of uncon
trollable hitting. “This time I had
experience to know what to do."
A three-week nightmare then
began in which he spent as much
as 12 hours a day in restraints.
The medication, at the same time,
was acting like a poison, making
him lethargic and tired. He had
become immune to its benefits
and had to find a new medicine.
The episode was worse than
ever before. Sammy recounts that
EKGs were being done every day
and everyone feared he would
not live through this. Finally his
doctors and family found out
about a doctor in Rochester,
N. Y., who was treating a patient
the same age with an MAO in
hibitor. It worked! This, in com
bination with another medicine
that had been used in Europe,
resulted in Sammy’s starting to
get better.
Sammy says he began spend
ing an hour at a time out ol re
straints. “It was a very traumatic
time. I needed a lively environ
ment and 1 wanted to go back to
camp.”
After he was out of the hospi
tal for three days, Sammy went
back to “Barney.” He now re
members, “It was very anxiety-
provoking. Should I do it? Is it
going to happen again? Will this
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