Polio, a Dose of the Refiner's Fire

In October 1952, a twenty-eight-year-old mother of two young children was diagnosed with bulbar polio which affected shoulders, arms and breathing. Soon the patient was placed in a chest respirator (which assisted breathing) and a tracheotomy was performed (which provided a clear airway for breathing). Early in the hospital stay, pregnancy was discovered. After a total of 8 months in the hospital, isolated from the children, she returned home with both arms still in arm slings. She had only minimum use of the left arm which made living at home and dealing with children difficult. But a year later, the challenge of losing her home catapulted her back into the world of work. And this transition proved more demanding and, ultimately, far more rewarding than she imagined.