By Jay Polk - bio | email
ALBANY, GA (WALB) – Every year, thousands of families are affected by neurological diseases such as Tourette's Syndrome, and usually the treatment involved hours of traveling to see a specialist.
But those families can save their gas money. Now the specialists are coming to them.
Pediatric Neurologist Dr. Bernard Maria was the first one to make the trip to Albany. He came from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta to see patients at the Phoebe Pediatrics Clinic today.
One of his patients was 12 year old Shannon Lindsey, who was diagnosed with Tourette's six years ago. Tourette's is a condition marked by involuntary movements like twitching, but is often misdiagnosed as ADHD.
Both the families and the doctor say that seeing specialists in person will improve the chances of correctly identifying the condition and getting the right care.
Terrie Lindsey, Shannon's mother said, "he was very warm, very kind, very knowledgeable, he put her at ease - and me."
Dr. Bernard Maria Chairman of Pediatrics at the Medical College of Georgia said, "I'm planning on coming down once a month to take care of some of the neurological issues that come up in children. You know it's a very common thing for things to go wrong with the brain. And there are very few pediatric neurologists in the state."
For more information on resources for patients and parents right here in Georgia who are dealing with Tourette's Syndrome, you can go to their website.
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