THERE’S a song by Scottish group ‘The Proclaimers’ that goes: “I would walk 500 miles…. and I would walk 500 more”.
But if they were singing about Brian Burnie, they could add a few extra verses.
Brian, supported and enabled by his wife, Cheryl, is on a mission to walk 7,000 miles around the coastline of Ireland, England Scotland and Wales to raise awareness of his cancer transport charity “Daft as Brush”.
Earlier this week Brian, who is from Newcastle, stopped in Limerick as he reached the half way point on his two and a half year odyssey to get into the Guinness Book of Records.
He plays down the bit where he lived in a mansion on a massive estate as a millionaire on the proceeds of his hugely successful consultancy business.
Now he and Cheryl live in a converted double-decker bus and he has poured all his considerable wealth into the charity, which provides free, friendly, humane transport for people who need cancer treatment in the UK.
“I named the charity after a thing my mother used to say – “daft as a brush” and the Bluebell Bus after the flower, which I think is very beautiful,” he told the Limerick Post.
At 75 years of age and with Parkinson’s, Brian has taken on a huge challenge but as his wife Cheryl says: “He’s not a quitter. He’s been involved in charity work for 50 years and he wants to raise awareness of how important a factor transport is in patient care.”
The charity website features interviews with top UK oncologists who say they have first-hand knowledge that there are patients who opt out of cancer treatments because it is so difficult to get to the hospital.
“There is some transport for people but not nearly enough and it’s not just getting there. The NHS transport will, in some places, deliver the patient to and from the hospital but won’t let them take a companion.
“Everyone who uses our buses can bring a friend or relative with them and while none of our volunteers have medical training, they all know the value of a smile, a sense of humour and a conversation. We’ve even been known to stop for a bottle of milk of the way back.
“Humour is deeply underestimated in the treatment of people who feel they are alone and about to die when in fact, the majority of people with a cancer diagnosis survive. But they need to feel supported and cared about,” said Brian.
The couple are staying in their bus for less than a week in Limerick but they are full of praise for Bus Eireann, who have supported them every step of the way.
“They loaned us drivers – one of them drove us to the most recent leg to Limerick and then produced a donation – amazing – and they’ve let us park the bus up at Roxboro depot here in Limerick and depots all over the country.
“They’ve even filled us up with diesel – they have been incredible,”
