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There are many ways in which you can let people know about TS. To help guide you, here is a project that has worked for one family. Former board member Bill Keck of Athens, Georgia wrote the following text for a book called "Anne's Story". Accompanied by his daughter's own pictures, he distributed them to her entire class. He reports that Anne's acceptance in the class was much greater afterwards and other parents showed much interest and appreciation. You can also do the same by customizing "Anne's Story". Just substitute your child's name and add original pictures. If you want to be creative, why not write your own book - it's the perfect parent-child project.

I like Michelle. She's the girl next door. Does she like me? I hope so. I hope we can be friends. Hi. I'm Anne. I'm nine and I'm in the third grade. In most ways, I'm like all the other kids in third grade. I like Barbie dolls, I like puppies, I like being with friends, and I like playing hide and seek.

Did you know that I have Tuberous Sclerosis? I hope that doesn't bother you; it's more of an inconvenience for me. I feel just like Meaghan, or Katie, or Candi. My doctor tells me that I am like them, only I have Tuberous Sclerosis. They get colds, I get colds. They get the flu, I get the flu. They take medicine, I take medicine. But why am I sometimes left out? Why don't other people understand me? I try to act like my friends.

Let me tell you about me. Four years ago I had two seizures. My parents told me they are called tonic/clonic seizures. I say my head started to spin and I don't know what happened. When I awakened, I was tired. Boy, was I tired.

That was four years ago. Today is today. Today, I take medicine three times a day. It controls my seizures. Sometimes my medicine makes me sleepy, but that only lasts for a short time. If I'm sleepy in class at 10 a.m., it's not because I stayed up late last night watching Saved By the Bell. My medicine is at its maximum strength then, and it really slows me down.

Tuberous Sclerosis is not something you can catch. It's not like a cold or the flu or pink eye. It is something you are born with. The researchers are trying to find the cause of T.S. Dad says the researchers have found the origin on chromosome 16 and they're looking for another possible gene on chromosome 9, whatever that means. I know one thing, Dad and Mom get very excited when they read the newsletters from the National Tuberous Sclerosis Association.

As my classmates, give me time, be patient with me. I may not be the first to raise my hand, but I may have the answer. If I answer and it doesn't sound right, maybe I got the wrong words put together. The words and thoughts sometimes bounce around in my head before they come together and make sense. My Dad tells me, "Take your time!" Have you ever forgotten something and you kept trying and trying to remember it? That's what I go through daily. Boy, is it frustrating!

Some things are tough for me to do. I'm trying and I'm improving; it just takes a lot more work for me. We all do things differently, but that's what makes us all special. We can be different and still be OK. Wouldn't it be a funny world if we all were the same and ran marathons in the same time? Mom's a marathoner, Dad's a golfer, my brother plays baseball, I love gymnastics. We are all different. We are all special. In our class when we grow up, we can be doctors, lawyers, teachers, professional athletes, moms, and dads. But most of all, let's be friends.