Brighton Resident Combats Tourette Syndrome with a Little 'Harry Potter' Magic

It's one of the hottest Julys on record, but Liz Riesterer wishes she was still wearing robes.

The Brighton native has been donning a black robe every day this year, but on July 15 she began dressing like the rest of us - as a "muggle," as those in the wizarding world would say.

July 15 was the day the final Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 premiered in the U.S. and also the day Riesterer's fundraising campaign for Tourette syndrome ended. To raise money for the disease she was diagnosed with in seventh grade, Riesterer pledged to don the robes like those worn by Hogwarts students in the J.K. Rowling books. The pledge was from Jan. 1, 2011 to the premiere of the last Potter movie-a span of nearly 200 days. During that time, she raised awareness and $2,790.

"People would make a comment on my outfit or give me a funny look, and I would stop them and say, 'Hey, what do you know about Tourette syndrome?'" Riesterer said. "I would always give them a card, I had little business cards printed up, on those I had my name, my Twitter, my Youtube and my fundraiser page, and that's where people, if they wanted to donate, they could go and they could donate."

Not only does she describe herself as the world's biggest Harry Potter fan, she has the evidence to back it up: She was recognized as the world's biggest fan in 2009 by Mugglenet.com, with fans all over the globe voting for her. She took her high school senior pictures in England at the Gloucester Cathedral, a site used to film Hogwarts scenes for the movies. And she's in England currently, as she planned a trip to see the movie premiere in London on July 7.

"I kind of put the two things together because Harry Potter was the thing that helped me get through my Tourette's in the hardest years, when I was clinically depressed and suicidal," she said. "The Harry Potter books made me see the good in the world, and I credit them with the reason I'm here today."

'I stayed true to myself'

According to the National Institutes of Health, Tourette syndrome is a disorder of the nervous system that causes a person to make repeated and uncontrolled movements and sounds called tics.

Riesterer, a sophomore at Michigan State University, said she overcame cruel bullying that led to depression and suicidal thoughts with the help of the Harry Potter series. The outlet for her suffering evolved into a extensive passion, she said.

So with the last movie coming out and her desire to give back to the Tourette Syndrome Association (TSA) for its support and resources to help her deal with her condition, Riesterer came up with the wizard-themed fundraising idea.

Being in middle school and her Tourette symptoms the worst during puberty, Riesterer said she was the subject of physical harassment every day, she said.

As a result of her vocal and motor tics, which caused her to shout things before thinking or make noises, kids would try to get her to react for their own amusement.

"Kids thought it was funny, especially to attack me with Lysol. There was this time I went into a classroom and this one bully pulled out a can of Lysol and attacked me with it to the point where I couldn't breathe, because he thought I reacted funny," she said. "Most people in that situation would start coughing, but not only did I do that, I started twitching like crazy, and he thought that was absolutely hilarious."

Her mother, Catherine Riesterer, said she witnessed her daughter turn into a social outcast.

"She went a couple years without being invited to anybody's house, kind of isolated, spent a lot of time alone," Catherine Riesterer said. "Once she hit middle school, she was really picked on a lot, and she started suffering from depression, some really serious depression."

However, Liz Riesterer said she started to lose herself in the world of Harry Potter, allowing her to leave the problems of her world behind. She said she was influenced by themes of perseverance and love in the books, which helped her keep a positive outlook.

"Right around the time I was diagnosed, the fifth Harry Potter book came out, and that's the one where Harry keeps telling people Voldemort's back, and no one believes him," she said. "People think he's lying, people thinks he's seeking attention ... But Harry knew the truth and he knew if he stayed true to himself one day people would see he was telling the truth.

"And that whole message stuck with me ... I knew that if I stayed true to myself and just kept going, people would see the real me," Riesterer said.

'Hey, what do you know about Tourette syndrome?'

Near the end of December 2010, Liz Riesterer came up with her fundraising scheme on a whim, hoping to make good on her New Year's resolution to help people. She said she had wanted to give back to the TSA for years, but the marathons they hosted didn't suit her. Plus, with the Harry Potter movies concluding, she wanted to commemorate the occasion.

"Well my initial thought was, 'Oh no Liz, as usual, you're crazy,'" Catherine Riesterer said when she heard of her daughter's idea to dress up as a wizard every day for 200 days.

When she arose the morning of Jan. 1, Liz Riesterer put on her full outfit for the first time, including a black skirt, white button-up, a Gryffindor tie (one of the houses of Hogwarts), a black vest or sweater and sometimes a cloak. She took a picture of herself every day and posted them on a Facebook page, some of which are featured with this article.

The concept was simple: Her outfit would attract people's attention, which would give Riesterer the chance to inform people about Tourette sydrome. She said when they stared she'd ask them what they knew about the disease.

Liz Riesterer said her biggest contributors included her mom and Nancy Johnson, the director of the . Johnson decided to hold a fundraiser of her own after Liz presented at a meeting, of which both women are members.

Johnson donated keepsake books about MSU athletics to a silent auction the club held near the end of June. The sale of those books raised $160 toward Tourette syndrome.

"I stand in awe of her dedication to increasing the visibility of Tourette syndrome," Johnson said about Liz Riesterer. "To be such a brave woman, in a very difficult setting, to call attention to herself, when most people would hide."

Besides raising money toward her cause, Riesterer said she also got the thrill of living as a wizard for more than half a year.

"I sat through a semester's worth of classes, I went to the dentist, I went up north to my grandma's dressed as a wizard," she said.

What's Next?

Riesterer remains in England, visiting family in Manchester until Aug. 3. Although the fundraiser is over and the robes are put away, she already has her sights set on the next project.

She said she wants to organize a screening of the last Potter movie at the in Brighton, with part of the ticket proceeds going toward her cause. She said she is making efforts to recruit a cast member from the movies to make an appearance at the fundraiser, but that's still just a possibility.

Those efforts could help to fill the void in her life left by the end of the Harry Potter movies.

"I have a lot of emotions about it, it was weird because it wasn't just the ending of the series, it was the ending of the fundraiser that dominated my life for months, it's a lot of big ends," she said.

She said she's not so sure about putting away her wizard outfits for good, however.

"I'm about to switch back to my wizard robes, I'm starting to miss them, I missed them more than I thought I would," she said. "They kind of became a part of me."

To donate to Liz Riesterer's cause, visit her website.