21.
Lastly: “When I was about 7, I contracted polio and was in a hospital ward being treated. My legs were paralyzed from the illness, and the only treatment available was hot packs. The children whose polio affected their lungs lay in machines nicknamed ‘iron lungs’ that breathed for them. Children died daily, and we knew when someone was dying when their curtains surrounded the bed. We heard the screaming and crying of parents. I received physical therapy for my legs, which included swimming or moving in a heated pool. I also had surgery on my leg muscles and was in traction to stretch them. I have foot-long scars on my legs from the surgery; I was one of the lucky ones, as I eventually was able to walk again. It’s hard to believe that one single hospital in a city was filled with ill children. This was happening in cities and towns all over the US.”
—Sue, 87, North Carolina