         
-
- Partners:
-
-
-
- Major Sponsors:
-
|
|
| STORIES FROM OUR PEOPLE | 
| Paul Burroughs | I
am single a 59-year-old stroke survivor, born in Wellington New
Zealand. I grew up and went to school in Hawera in Taranaki. The eldest
of seven children, I completed an electrical drafting cadetship with
the NZ Railways in Wanganui after leaving school. Then I worked for the
Railways as an electrical draftsman in both NZ and in Queensland in
Australia for a number of years and then at a multinational iron ore
mining company Hamersley Iron in Dampier in Western Australia.
I
travelled in Australia and Asia before settling back in Hamilton NZ in
the late 1970's. Immediately prior to having two strokes I worked for
twenty years in middle management as a shift supervisor for Carter Holt
Harvey at their cardboard packaging manufacturing and printing plant in
Hamilton which produced packaging for the Horticulture and Dairy and
Meat processing industries.
A survivor of two strokes, I
currently I live in Hamilton. The first stroke was a major one caused
by an intracerebral haemorrhage at the age of 42 in March 1993
resulting in left side hemiplegia. The second was a small stroke in
June 2000 caused by a clot.
Following the first stroke (which
happened while I was doing jury service at the Hamilton district court
- would you believe?) I spent 3 months in Waikato Hospital in the acute
wards then in the Rehabilitation Ward. Following 18 months further
rehabilitation physiotherapy and occupational therapy as an outpatient
weekly at Waikato Hospital I was not able to return to work and ended
up on the invalids’ benefit. That was a shock to the system,
going from earning a very good annual salary plus company medical
benefits and superannuation, and having company share purchase rights,
to about $10,000 on the invalids’ benefit. It turned my life
totally upside down.
I have been involved as a volunteer with
Stroke Foundation New Zealand and Stroke Foundation Hamilton (Hamilton
Stroke Club) since 1993, and have held office, locally, regionally and
nationally, and currently serve now serve on the Midland Stroke
Foundation Inc, Regional Council as the Regional Secretary and as the
Secretary of the local Hamilton Stroke Support Group.
I became
involved in the CCS Disability Action Access Committee a number of
years ago, to try improve both access and disability friendly
facilities in my City of Hamilton for people with disabilities such as
my self. Through this committee we saw the establishment of a
Disability Strategy for Hamilton City Council, and with the project to
establish a hydrotherapy pool in Hamilton from its start. I then served
on the working party which assisted the HCC staff and other interested
parties to draw up concept plans for the Hydrotherapy pool at
Waterworld.
I did this because hydrotherapy is a major benefit
for people with stroke and other disabilities for their rehabilitation
and on going leisure. During my rehabilitation following my stroke
there was no public hydrotherapy pool facility for me to use.
I
look forward with great satisfaction to the completion of this project,
and to being able to use the hydrotherapy pool for my continued
rehabilitation which is life long, once the new facility is built at
Waterworld.
|
|
