Children in iron lungs in a hospital polio ward c. 1950’s.
(Source Unknown) N.B.: An internet search before publishing this photograph did, however, turn up many businesses willing to sell you a copy of this photo, or where you could get a copy, none of them making any claim communicated to me as to the copyright of it, including alamy.com, GettyImages.com, journal.medizzy.com, pbs.org, pinterest.com, reddit.com, and theguardian.com.
When I was in elementary school, the older brother of one of my friends had polio. His family dealt with it by keeping him in his bedroom, as I recall. He could not walk much and I do not recall seeing him outside of his house much.
He died in his sleep one night when he was a teenager or a preteen, I forget which. I recall adults, my parents and neighbors and friends of my parents, saying that he probably did not feel anything but died peacefully in his sleep. The world would be happy to have polio survivors leave quietly in their sleep.
Survivors of Post-Polio Syndrome have a different view of the thing. They are a unique bunch. My wife is one of them. They survived polio early in life, and later in life they are now surviving a multitude of ailments that are a result of their having had polio when they were younger. As Alice Wong, a renowned Disabilities Advocate with Muscular Dystrophy says, “We are creative and innovative as hell, because this world was never built for us.”
My wife, Dianne, calls herself a Warrior and not only a Survivor. She uses the same word to describe all other Post-Polio Survivors because they have all fought against and worked around the early and now the late effects of polio. When Dianne was born with polio, the doctors told her parents to put Dianne away while she died an early death. In the years since, she graduated from college, earned a Master’s Degree, wrote a book titled Somebody Told Me I Could / A Polio Survivor Who’s In It For The Long Haul, married me and given birth to our amazing daughter.
Post-Polio Support Groups now exist, and they are open to all, including caregivers. For many Post-Polio Survivors – or Warriors – PPS Groups offer the first place in their lives that is built for people like them. It is not hard to attend their meetings, as many Groups offer the opportunity to attend virtually via Zoom or some other virtual channel. A list of many groups including their websites, their email addresses, and their telephone numbers can be found on the Boca Area Post-Polio Group’s website, which you can copy here and put in your own browser to avoid potential problems with a link at https://www.postpolio.wordpress.com/. Dianne’s website lists many resources as well, along with excerpts from her book: https://www.diannemctaggartwall.com/index.htm. There are many places offering resources, and these days a person has only to look for them.
In less than a week from when this article is published, on this coming 24th of October 2024 remember the Post-Polio Warriors and Survivors, their lives, and their courage. Remember them and all disabled people all year long and please do everything you can to help make this world a place that is built for you and for everyone.
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