Drag racer puts brakes on multiple sclerosis

Saturday, Oct. 22, 2005 | 10:29 a.m.

Information on MS

For more information about multiple sclerosis call the National Multiple Sclerosis Society toll-free at (800)-FIGHT MS. (Press 2 for the Las Vegas office.) Or go to nationalmssociety.org.

Drag racer Robert Burgin says he spun his wheels too long thinking he could get away from his multiple sclerosis.

He ignored treating it for seven years and refused to let anyone know he had the chronic and often disabling disease of the central nervous system.

In 2001, Burgin announced that he had the ailment that afflicts more than 350,000 Americans, including 1,800 in Southern Nevada.

"I think so many people keep quiet after they are told they have a debilitating disease because it changes their relationship with relatives, friends and people they do business with," the 47-year-old Georgia resident said in a recent phone interview.

"People treat you differently. Friends do not know the right words to say. Now I speak every chance I get to tell people that with early detection and early treatment you can live a productive life with MS."

Burgin, who still competes in the National Hot Rod Association's Super Stock Division, will get an opportunity to get that message across at 6 p.m. Thursday when he speaks at the Gold Coast. Admission is free.

That weekend Burgin also will compete in the NHRA Lucas Oil Series drag racing event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Medication and conditioning exercises he does to prepare for drag racing have improved Burgin's health, he said.

His body had been severely weakened by years of failing to follow a treatment regimen.

He hopes that through racing and speaking engagements -- he has done about 30 in two years -- he will inspire other multiple sclerosis patients to pursue their dreams.

Susan Westbrook of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Nevada Division said when people like Burgin come forward and speak about their multiple sclerosis "it helps create awareness and makes it easier for others to accept they have the disease.

"It also makes others believe they can do the things they want to do."

She said other celebrities who have spoken in Las Vegas about multiple sclerosis include country singer Clay Walker, actor David Lander (Squiggy from "Laverne & Shirley") and actress Teri Garr.

Also, the local MS chapter sponsors other events designed to raise funds and increase awareness, including the Gambler's Classic MS 150 Bike Tour, Nov. 5-6, from Las Vegas to Overton to Mesquite and back to Las Vegas.

Burgin and Westbrook say one of the biggest myths about multiple sclerosis is that it will kill you. The disease is not fatal and is treatable. Left untreated, however, it can result in paralysis and blindness.

Its symptoms include numbness, tingling, slurred speech, blurred vision, poor balance, muscle tightness or spasticity, fatigue, forgetfulness, a lack of concentration, mood swings and depression. The symptoms can come and go, varying in intensity.

Those symptoms, according to a pamphlet from the organization, are caused by the body's self-defense system attacking the myelin, the fatty substance that protects nerve fibers of the brain, optic nerves and spinal cord.

Westbrook said because multiple sclerosis is a nonreportable disease, her agency does not have statistics to support whether there has been a significant increase in cases in recent years.

"We would like to believe that the number of cases has increased because of the improvement in the MRI technology," Westbrook said of the imaging process that detects telltale lesions on the brain and can confirm the disease.

"Before the MRI, it took months and even years to diagnose MS cases."

Burgin's symptoms went from being hardly noticeable when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1994 to severe complications seven years later, including a defined limp that concerned members of his racing crew.

"It got so bad I could not write or sign my name or pick up a heavy glass of water," Burgin said. "I had tremors in my right leg. I initially told my crew it was a sprained ankle."

After admitting he had the disease, Burgin took a year off from racing, started taking medication and underwent physical therapy.

Burgin got into major drag racing three years after being diagnosed with MS.

"In 1997, my brother-in-law (Richard Gunnels) had a massive heart attack and died at age 37," said Burgin, who was 39 at the time. "I figured if I was going to pursue my dream I'd better do it while I was still healthy."

This year, he is ranked 72nd out of 780 super stock racers in a sport that requires split-second reflexes at speeds greater than 140 mph. Burgin's Pontiac Firebird, sponsored in part by Avonex, one of the five drugs used to treat multiple sclerosis, zips down the quarter-mile strip in less than 10 seconds.

Last year, Burgin finished the season ranked 54th overall and third in the southeast United States division that features factory muscle cars. He won an event at the South Georgia Motorsports Park.

"That win was validation -- it was really great," Burgin said, noting that to get an event title a driver has to win six to 10 single-elimination races. "It put things in a different light. I became more than just 'the disabled driver.' "

Because multiple sclerosis patients today live normal life spans, Burgin sees no limit to how long he can compete, noting a recent event that had a driver who was nearly 70.

Ed Koch can be reached at (702) 259-4090 or at koch@lasvegassun.com.