PHOENIX — A young woman who faced severe bullying due to her Tourette's syndrome has transformed her painful childhood experiences into a powerful message of resilience, becoming a published author and inspiring others to overcome adversity.
Riyani Patel felt different from an early age. At seven years old, she was diagnosed with Tourette's syndrome, a neurological condition that causes uncontrollable repetitive movements and unwanted sounds.
"I would shake my head, shake my head back and forth, like this, or bang my head against the wall, or even just jittering with my arms," Riyani Patel said.
Those involuntary tics led to relentless bullying throughout her school years. By middle school, the harassment had intensified significantly.
"In middle school, it was pretty hard. Seventh and eighth grade, students would make fun of me by mocking me in front of my face, asking me straight up questions like, why are you doing this? This is so funny, and for whatever reason they would pull my hair," she said.
Her father, Yogesh Patel, recognized that bullying was a challenge his daughter would need to overcome.
"Bullying is just one of the things that I even felt back then that, you know, this is the part of life that you have to that everyone has to deal with. It may come in different forms. This is going to be hers that you'll have to overcome," Yogesh Patel said.
And overcome she did, turning her hardship into a book, getting it published in 2017 at 13 years old, and then writing another. She is now a twice published author.
Yogesh Patel, inspired by his daughter's resilience, didn't stay on the sidelines.
He launched the podcast, Yogg Nation: The Spirit of Gratitude, a platform that brings an authentic and relatable perspective on the topic of bullying.
"You don't know what the other person's story is until they share it. So, I'm very proud of my dad, and I'm glad that he wants to continue this message, as it's important. It really is," Riyani Patel said.
