Passion, Patience and Perseverance: How the World Came Together to Fight the Paralytic Polio Virus

By Shawn Herron

When I was first approached about writing this story in the spring of 2019, I let Carol know that I didn't know much about polio. I could see how the disease affected Carol’s mobility, I could see how strongly she believed in her cause, and after listening to her speak about the work of RI’s storytellers, I sensed there may be a story there as well.

I listened to Carol’s interviews, watched these storytellers’ videos, and came away impressed with the information being conveyed. As I jotted notes, I kept finding myself with more questions, like how the work of these storytellers fit into the big picture, and how did this all begin? I knew the Gate’s Foundation was involved somehow. Even though I had recently joined Rotary, I really didn't know how they got involved, nor the March of Dimes before them. I began exploring the past to educate myself on the world’s response. The more I learned, the more remarkable this eradication effort seemed.

I had never given polio much thought before that. I had never felt threatened by the virus because I was born into a society where the vaccine was widely disseminated and the spread of the virus had already been stopped. I didn't remember polio being covered in any meaningful way back in school. I figured that if I didn't know much about polio or the world’s response to eradicate it, then there were probably others, like me, who didn't know much about this history either.

This story has been written with this group of people in mind. Little did we know that we’d be publishing this story in the midst of a new pandemic. Let's look back to help us move forward. We should know our history, both good and bad, so we can celebrate our good deeds and learn from our mistakes.

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