Arlene: In Our Own Words

Arlene was eight when she was taken alone into a dark room where a spinal tap was given to the young, frightened child. It was polio. The little girl couldn't even sit up. For fear of exposure to the virus, the ambulance would not take Arlene and another little girl to the hospital. Because the other little girl’s parents owned a funeral home, they were taken to the hospital in a hearse.