Tom overwhelmed by Employable Me reaction

It took Tom Dufton almost a week to reply to the hundreds of texts, emails and Facebook messages of support he received after he was featured on the BBC’s Employable Me documentary.

Tom has Tourette’s Syndrome – the neurological condition that causes involuntary noises and physical tics. Each week, Employable Me slashed away at the stereotypes that all of us have about neurological conditions like Tourette’s. It wanted to show how people living with them can excel in the world of work.

Tom’s story was featured in the second episode of three. If you missed it, it’s available on the BBC iPlayer until 29th April 2016.

We met Tom to talk about his involvement in the programme, what he got out of it and his plans for the future…

What was it like seeing yourself on a big TV programme like Employable Me?

[dropcap]”I[/dropcap] wasn’t nervous about being on the box as such, I was more nervous about coming across well and that my story came through. The first episode of the series was brilliant, so I was worried about following that. About half-an-hour before the programme aired I was a nervous wreck. My dad was like, ‘Calm down, you’ve seen it, you like it. It’s going to be great’.”

And it was great, wasn’t it? What’s the reaction been like?

[dropcap]”I[/dropcap] can’t stress enough how much the positive reaction means to me. The general public have been so receptive and supportive. People have taken the time to message me – some have written me essays – saying the programme was amazing and saying well done. The messages I’ve had from people I don’t know have been so kind. Overwhelming. I didn’t feel like I had to, but I really wanted to take the time to reply to everyone personally.”

Tom, who’s 27, grew up in Stafford, moved to Hopton when he was 10 and then to Stone six years ago. After a year at Weston Road High School in Stafford, Tom switched to Stone schools and went to Christ Church Academy and Alleyne’s Academy.

How was life at school?

[dropcap]”I[/dropcap] went through the majority of my school life not knowing. I always knew there was something going on. I didn’t know what, I couldn’t explain what, I wouldn’t have known where to start. I always thought, it’s a bit odd I’m making these noises. You would, wouldn’t you? I was made to sit on my hands at school to stop me fidgeting. Because I couldn’t keep quiet, I used to get ‘minus points’. Even that short time ago, Tourette’s really wasn’t understood like it is now. Teachers probably should have recognised that something wasn’t right, but how were they to know, really?”

After years of not knowing what was wrong, things came to a head when Tom entered his teenage years, and things were getting worse.

[dropcap]”A[/dropcap]ge 14 I went away to camp with the cadets, to Wales, and had very little sleep – which is the worst thing for it. I was tired, stressed, exhausted really. I was a mess. A real mess. My mum went on to Google – Google was my saviour, in a way. She typed in my symptoms and every result was Tourette’s, Tourette’s, Tourette’s. I needed to get sorted. There was a two-year wait for treatment on the NHS, so my grandad paid for us to go private. There was no way I could have waited two years. I was in such a mess. A few weeks later I was diagnosed and on medication. It changed my life.”

Diagnosis was “the key that started to unlock the door”, Tom says. It made life a lot easier because he finally had an answer to what was going on. But the diagnosis brought with it other problems, like depression and anger. ‘I don’t want this. Why me?’ was Tom’s natural reaction. He says it was “a bitter pill to swallow”.

“Accepting that you have a condition is hard,” he says, “and I was very aware of the stigma.”

Life with Tourette’s – and the associated anxiety and low self-esteem – meant that Tom struggled to find his way. He “flitted from one thing to another”, he says. He’s worked at Awesome Walls in Longton for the last few years as a climbing instructor – something he really loves – but he was struggling to find a career, something that would utilise his talents, and take account of his condition.

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In the programme, occupational psychologist Nancy Doyle helped Tom to do this. She put him through a series of tests to discover his strengths – and proved his high intelligence.

[box type=”shadow” ]She said: “It is very common for people with Tourette’s to have low self esteem and hide away. What I want to do with Tom is put that to one side and see what his abilities are. Just because one area of the brain isn’t working well, it doesn’t mean the rest isn’t.”[/box]

Tom’s score in a verbal comprehension test put him in the top 1% in the country. The whole experience of being forced to focus on his strengths, not just his condition, was a huge confidence booster. Tom tried teaching in the programme, but it was when he got some work experience with Lichfield’s SW Tree Surgery that things really clicked. Concentrating on the job – 30 feet off the ground – meant the tics subsided. Completely. Tom had noticed this before, when riding his motorbike, that concentrating on a task brought the tics under control.

He loved the tree surgery work, and it’s now a big focus for his future. He’s doing a forestry and arboriculture course at Reaseheath College in Nantwich, with regular work placements with Countryside Training and Tree Management in Stafford.

“They’re an amazing bunch of people to work for,” he says. “Really supportive, pushing me in the right direction. I feel very privileged to be able to work with them.”

What have you got out of taking part in Employable Me?

[dropcap]”D[/dropcap]efinitely a lot of confidence in myself. I have what I have. My deck of cards is my deck of cards. I have things that I can offer an employer. I know that I couldn’t be a barrister or I couldn’t work in an office because I’d disturb people. I know that now. I now understand the skill set that I have and I can aim for a career path that can utilise those skills. It’s given me a clear vision for what to do in the next phase of my life. It’s given me the confidence to do that.

“The programme showed that just because someone has a condition, is different, that doesn’t mean they can’t function in a job that suits them. t’s easy for someone to interview someone like me and to think, ‘I’m not sure about this’. And I do understand that, if they don’t understand Tourette’s or don’t really know anything about it. Hopefully, we’ve changed those perceptions.”

What are your hopes for the future?

[dropcap]”T[/dropcap]o get my qualifications – I finish my course next year. I want to take forward what I’ve learned, the confidence I’ve gained, and really push myself down a career path that really suits me. To really go for it and achieve what I’m capable of. The world’s my oyster now.

“I also want to raise more awareness and to help people in my situation. Tourette’s isn’t like some other conditions, where there’s millions and millions of pounds of research and fundraising. It doesn’t work like that. There’s one charity in the UK that offers support and raises awareness and that’s it, really.”

Tom is now writing a book about his life and his experiences with Tourette’s.

“I want people to read it and think, ‘If he can do it, I can do it’. The programme has inspired me to write the book and I hope it will inspire other people.”