JOY COMES IN THE MORNING
Jamie,19, grew up in a Christian home outside of Atlanta, Georgia where her father is a pastor. Her mother homeschooled Jamie and her older sister, Morgan. When she was 7, Jamie accepted Jesus into her heart. “After I was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome when I was 11, things got difficult,” she says. “I never turned my back on God, but I rekindled the flame when I was 13.” Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by rapid, involuntary movements that occur repeatedly in the same way. Her first tics showed up in rapid arm and leg movements. The tics made it difficult to walk or ride in a car. Though the symptoms have diminished somewhat as she has gotten older, sometimes Jamie says she stutters. (Jamie manages her tics by taking care of herself with diet and supplements. She is not on medication.)
She found that music calmed her symptoms and started writing songs. Her parents gave her a drumkit when she was 14 so Jamie taught herself how to play (she took guitar lessons when she was 7). She also learned to play the ukulele. Soon, Jamie started posting videos of herself singing on YouTube. “Music gave me a sense of purpose,” she says. Jamie was trying to grow in her music and attempted to email Gotee Records. She started talking to Christian artists after their concerts to find out what more she could do. “God didn’t really have that in the plan,” says Jamie.
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article courtesy of BCNN1.com/700Club.com
