John knows that his tremor will increase with age, but he refuses to ever let it stop him.

“I refuse to give up my passions because of my tremor,” he said. “We are not characterized by our diagnosis. It is how we overcome that shapes us.”

He was seven years old when he was officially diagnosed with essential tremor (ET). But his mother said he was shaking even before age seven. She began experiencing ET at age 11, but was not diagnosed until she was a young adult.

John approached his diagnosis with optimism and acceptance rather than fear. He has faced challenges because of his tremor, like his handwriting. And sometimes jokes are made at his expense. But he isn’t bothered when people ask, “why are your hands shaking?” He simply says, “I have a tremor.”

Despite his tremor, he challenged himself with pursuits requiring fine motor skills and patience. These include sculpture, pottery and even origami. Even though he struggles, he keeps trying and feels lucky to have teachers willing and able to help him learn.

“Beauty can be formed even by those with broken hands,” he said.

John is studying wildlife biology at the University of North Georgia.