'Tourette's is my superpower': Winnipeg teen leans into his neurodiversity

Orion Remoquillo was with his family on vacation in California watching a Los Angeles Angels baseball game when it happened. 

The then seven-year-old began randomly swearing and repeatedly giving strangers the middle finger.

"I can vividly remember just not being able to control myself in the crowd, not being able to handle myself," he said. 

That event marked the beginning of Orion's life with Tourette syndrome. 

Tourette syndrome, or Tourette's as it is commonly known, is a neurological disorder typified by uncontrollable motor and verbal tics. It typically starts in childhood, like it did for Orion.

For Orion, the tics made it hard for him to socially thrive in school. His mom, Marriane Remiquillo, tried to help where she could. 

Marriane became a buffer for her young son with strangers, but she also taught him to be honest about his condition. 

"It's really hard as a kid. It's even harder as a parent, because you can't explain it to everybody that you meet," said Marriane. "You know at the end of the day he's going to have to stand up and advocate for himself."

Helping others

Orion did become a big advocate for himself. In Grade 10 at Garden City Collegiate, Orion saw other kids with challenges struggling, so he began volunteering with an in-school program with those students. That's something he continues with today as a post-high school graduate.

"I volunteered so many hours just helping them out ... and I started to realize that I actually enjoy working with people like me," said Orion, now 19.

In 2023, he won the Terry Fox Humanitarian Award, which recognizes outstanding young people from across Canada. Today he works as an assistant with the University of Winnipeg Wesmen men's basketball team.

He is currently studying Kinesiology at the U of W and hopes to become a gym teacher.

Today, his Tourette syndrome is managed with medication and therapy. 

"[I'm] acknowledging that I have Tourette's and acknowledging what makes me, me —  and just trying to stand out from the crowd and just be my own person," Orion said. "So Tourette's is my superpower."

Orion's story is now the subject of a new three-minute documentary by students in the post-high school Create program at Sisler High School.

Create students Joshua Soriano, Gianluca Caldarola and Markus Penner produced the new short video.

Meet the filmmakers 

Joshua Soriano is a freelance videographer who has been working with cameras since 2023. He started doing sports photography for the Sisler Spartans. Since graduating from Sisler High School, he has started his career as a sports videographer, working with U Sports athletes and teams across Manitoba. 

Markus Penner developed a passion for film during his gap year after high school. He is deeply invested in storytelling and enjoys exploring familiar ideas through fresh perspectives.

In his spare time, he likes to read history books, trade stocks and write film reviews. In the future, he aims to become a screenwriter and director.

Every day is a new challenge for Gianluca Caldarola, whether he's volunteering for local football teams taking photos or creating new team designs.

Caldarola loves being busy and has a large range of projects on the go. He volunteers with Pros Vs Joes, a week-long event in December that supports families in need. He also volunteers photographing student athletes and taking portraits for awards ceremonies at his former high school Sturgeon Heights.

In his spare time, he likes watching movies, going on nature walks in parks and biking.

More about Project POV: Sisler Create

CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short documentaries. You can see past projects here. 

The Winnipeg School Division's Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high school students in the creative digital arts.

During fall 2024, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led production workshops at Sisler.

Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.