World Polio Day--This is our day to remember what developing this vaccine in 1955 meant to the world. I was 7 years old and I can still remember the reaction of my Mother to this discovery. Mom was 2 and her older sister Jewel was 4 when they became ill with polio. It changed their lives forever. Jewels little body was so twisted that eventually her lungs didnt have a way to expand enough to keep her alive. My Grandparents tried everything the doctors wanted--even to the point of putting her in a full-body cast to straighten her spine. Mom always felt so lucky because her polio didnt affect her whole body--it mainly was in one leg which was shorter and smaller than the other. We didnt realize until much later that the polio virus stays inside the body and is active. She suffered so much pain which became a normal part of her life. When the Laverne Schools said we would travel in school buses to Buffalo where we would stand in long lines that filled their gym and spilled out onto the playground, Mom was so happy that we could do something to protect us. Mom had been told never to have children because she might transmit the disease on to us so she was so frightened that one of us or our future children might develop symptoms and she would be responsible. She was told she wouldnt be able to drive a car because she couldnt keep constant control of her right leg. Grandad taught her how to drive a car anyway. She wasnt able to dance, play basketball, or even ride a tricycle or a bike. When she wasnt able to get around that much as she grew older, she had to learn how to balance to ride her scooter. She learned and made up for not being able to ride on things when she was a child. Many of you saw her riding all over Laverne on her motorized scooter. She was terrified she would end up in a wheelchair so never wanted to sit in one no matter how weak she became. She loved riding her scooter and being independent outside. She loved the wind in her hair. Mom would be so happy today on World Polio Day that polio was close to being gone forever.
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 17:33:28 +0000
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