I Swear: My Life with Tourettes
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Born in the 1970s on the Scottish Borders, John’s was twelve when his tics first arrived, as if from nowhere. Previously a happy, popular, football-mad boy he was labelled disruptive, rude, and even mad. As his condition progressed, from blinks and jerks to involuntary rude and obscene shouting, John was bullied, rejected - alienated from his family and a society that had no idea what to make of him.
Hospitalized and drugged for months, it was only an extraordinary and transformative friendship, and John’s dogged optimism, that turned his life around, making I Swear an inspirational story of triumph over adversity.
Through John’s eyes, we see Tourette’s not just as a medical condition, but as a lens through which we can all better understand the importance of human connection. And how essential, as well as ultimately rewarding, it can be to keep going and never give up.
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John Davidson MBE was born in 1971 in Galashiels. After leaving school without qualifications, he began work as a caretaker at Langlee Community Centre in Galashiels, where he continues to work now. Since 2002 he has also been a part-time youth worker at Loganlea Community Centre and education centre in Galashiels.
Aged sixteen, John was the subject of a BBC documentary, ‘John’s Not Mad’, about living with Tourette’s Syndrome, and has since been an ambassador for the condition, giving talks and workshops in schools, and to the police and running an annual residential camp for young people with Tourette’s. Since 1989 he has featured in several follow up documentaries; Kirk Jones’ 2025 film, I Swear is based on John’s life.
In 2019 John joined the board of Tourette Scotland and was awarded an MBE in recognition of ‘his efforts to increase understanding of the condition and helping families deal with it across the country’.
