Last U.S. polio patient with an iron lung dies at 78 in Oklahoma

[BettyBlueDot]

8. Shriners

My Mom spent months at a time in Shriners too, but way b4 your time, in the 20's. No1 ever said she had polio. At that time is was almost a disgrace. She herself wld get angry if any1 asked if she had polio. They called it "spastic paralysis." They did 16 surgeries on her legs to cut tendons that were shrinking, so her legs wld hang straight and she cld walk on crutches. Her legs were covered with scars and remained paralyzed the rest of her life. She also lived to 78, the cause of her death was ongoing ulcers on her legs, eventually led to sepsis. Basically, her legs died. The sad part is later in her life a doctor told her she may hv regained some use of her legs if they had not cut all the tendons.