NJ Walks for TS Trabilcy Tackles Tourette II Soars in Fundraising

For the second year in a row, gymnast Sofia Trabilcy, 11, of Flemington is the captain of her team ‘Trabilcy Tackles Tourette II’ for the 2020 NJ Walks for TS Virtual Walk. On Thursday, in honor of TS awareness day, Sofia was awarded one of the highest fundraisers for this year. Trabilcy Tackles Tourette II raised $2,569 for the NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome.

The NJ Walks for TS program was created in 2010 by kids, for kids, in collaboration with NJCTS. NJ Walks for TS promotes acceptance, awareness, advocacy, and action on behalf of New Jersey’s more than 20,000 children and families living with Tourette Syndrome and its associated disorders—an inherited, misdiagnosed, and misunderstood neurological disorder characterized by involuntary sounds and movements know as tics that affects 1 in 100 individuals. These team and individual events are a chance to stand up and step out to break the stigma attached to TS and show support for friends, family and neighbors living with this misunderstood neurological disorder.

Sofia was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome when she was 6 years old. She is a gymnast on the level 6 team at Gymnastics Unlimited and she loves arts and crafts. Sofia believes her Tourette Syndrome diagnosis does not affect her ability to perform these activities, and perform them well. “Like all of you, I am just a regular kid that likes playing with my friends and doing fun hobbies. What sets me apart is my Tourettes. It is not who I am - just a part of who I am,” says Sofia. Despite the current COVID19 climate, Sofia managed to continue with her fundraising and awareness goals, even after her in-person event got canceled.

NJ Walks for TS encourages all participants to rally around kids, families, and adults with TS and form teams to walk and fundraise in support of a future with more treatments and less stigma. Sofia, her friends and family are all part of this vision. Thank you Sofia!

The NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders, the nation’s first Center for Excellence for Tourette Syndrome, is a not-for-profit organization committed to the advocacy of children and families with Tourette Syndrome and its associated disorders. Dedicated to delivering high quality services to these individuals, the Center recognizes the importance of educating the public, medical professionals, and teachers about this disorder through programs and affiliations with public schools, health centers, and universities. Visit www.njcts.org for more information.