How I’ve Lived With Polio

by Author Name

I contracted polio as a young child before the polio vaccine became available where I lived. I was completely paralyzed and hospitalized for a few months, spending much of that time in an iron lung since I could neither breathe nor move on my own.

The other children and I inside the iron lungs were placed in the hospital’s polio ward. Doctors said I would die soon since I had severe bulbar paralytic polio. I remember them saying the death rate was very high for my type of polio. The boy in the iron lung next to mine died one night in the polio ward—my first experience with death. I still have nightmares about it.

I didn’t die, so they had me try what passed for physical rehabilitation in those days, which simply meant attempting to pull myself up from the ground by grabbing a bar mounted on the wall. I couldn’t reach it. But there were too many children in the polio ward, so that was about the best the hospital could do. 

When I was finally able to breathe on my own consistently, I was released from the hospital, and my parents took me home. But the doctors told them and me that I would never walk, couldn’t use crutches, and would remain in a wheelchair—likely dying within a few short years. Somehow, I continued to live, and after many struggles and several years, I began to walk with crutches and could use my arms to some degree.

Today, one of my legs is two inches shorter than the other, my spine is twisted, and I am restricted to lifting about five pounds at most with either arm. I do walk without assistance but keep crutches next to my bed and in my automobile since I need them from time to time. I look ahead and position myself to unobtrusively walk near objects like walls or trees that I might grab to prop myself up if needed. 

Observant people can tell I’m limping, but I’ve taught myself to be a good enough actor to hide much of it. My arm and wrist muscles become clumsy and painful with use, so I eat several small meals each day to spread out the limited strength in my wrists and arms. Breathing is my most serious concern, so I plan my activities carefully—it’s the hardest one to manage.

A proud accomplishment for me was running in a 5K charity event a few years ago. I struggled and ran slowly, but I actually completed the run without assistance. I can also do some limited handwriting, but only a few sentences before my arm gives out. My doctors say I still have several defects and deformities, along with severe nerve damage from my bouts with polio. So I continue to seek workarounds as needed.

The U.S. did a tremendous service to the world by providing free polio vaccines everywhere. Many lives were saved, including preventing little children from suffering. Don’t consign children to what I’ve experienced—or to their deaths. Do what is best for children, our country, and the world.

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