Travel for treatment hard on Parkinson's sufferer

BATTLER: Ken Burgiss has lived with Parkinson's for 30 years and needs to be monitored regularly to ensure he is on the right medication.

For Featherston's Trish Burgiss, a regular visiting neurologist to Wairarapa would mean peace of mind for husband Ken and herself.

Mr Burgiss has lived with Parkinson's disease for almost three decades, and struggles with several symptoms such as tremors, speech difficulties, memory loss and fatigue.

His condition is treated with medication and, to ensure his dosage is correct, he and Mrs Burgiss must travel out of town for neurology appointments, even making a 760-kilometre round trip to Taupo to see a private specialist.

Neurology specialists can monitor a patient's medication and not having one available locally has been nerve-wracking for the couple.

"If we had a neurologist here we could visit, it would bring us peace of mind. It would be really good for us to know he is on the best medication for his symptoms," said Mrs Burgiss.

"We need reassurance that what we're doing is for the best and, with Parkinson's, only a neurologist can tell you what's going on."

She said the long car trips were difficult for her husband and he needed at least a week to recuperate from travelling to appointments.

"Even travelling to Masterton is a chore for him," she said.

"If he goes anywhere, he's in bed feeling sleepy and lethargic for about four to five days. It puts his life out of routine."

Mr Burgiss was diagnosed with Parkinson's 1997, but his symptoms began in 1983.

Despite the challenges his condition brings, Mr Burgiss is something of a local legend in Featherston: founding the Featherston Heritage Museum and his own museum for "kiwiana" memorabilia, running the successful tour bus operation, South Wairarapa Tours, resurrecting the Featherston Community Patrol and bringing Japanese choir Chor Farmer to Featherston every two years.

For the couple, a positive attitude is key for living with Parkinson's.

'This is the stroke in life we have been given, and we just have to deal with it as best we can," said Mrs Burgiss.