Given the vaccine hesitancy we see in the USA today, now more than ever it is important for me to tell my polio story. I and my fellow polio survivors are creatures from the 1940s to the mid-1950s and many of us are still here! The polio vaccine came just a little too late for us, hence we are living proof of the devastating effects of polio. I contracted polio at age 2 ½. After my immediate illness I came out of hospital with both legs partially paralysed, wearing two long braces on my legs and using two crutches. At age 6 I went back into hospital for intensive physiotherapy. That stay lasted 1 ½ years! I finally came out with just one small leg brace on the right leg, but still using crutches. Thanks to the efforts of my parents I got accepted into a “normal” elementary school, followed by high school and eventually university. On graduation, I entered the workforce and had a successful 27 year career with BP. Despite the unlucky start to my life, I consider myself fortunate. I’ve been active and independent, seeing a good portion of the world thanks to my work with BP. I know people who had a much tougher time dealing with the after-effects of polio, particularly those who had to be in iron lungs. But we are a resilient bunch. We have learned over some six to eight decades how to overcome obstacles and lead independent and active lives and succeed in the “normal” world. And the vast majority of us have done exactly that. While we have adapted to living with the effects of polio, we would not wish the experience on our kids of today. It is unthinkable that we should return to the dark times of polio epidemics. No American kid, nor indeed any kid in the world, now or in the future should ever have to risk contracting polio or other debilitating diseases that can be prevented by vaccination. Thanks for allowing me to tell my story. May the force of Dr. Jonas Salk be with Grandparents for Vaccines.
