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July
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All articles appearing in the Polio Post News are the exclusive property
of either the Polio Post News or the originating author of the article
and reprinting any article from the Polio Post News, whole or in part,
is strictly prohibited without the written consent of support group
president, Carolyn Raville OR permission of the originating author.
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July-August, 2009
President’s
Letter
The North
Central Florida Post-Polio Support Group is in the midst of our
summer vacation. Our regular programs will resume on September 13th.
At 10:30 AM on Saturday, August 29th, I will present
our special program "What Is Post-Polio Syndrome?" for
our new members who need a better understanding of PPS. The
program will be at the Collins Health Resource Center, 9401 SW
Highway 200, Building 300, Suite 303, in Ocala.
I encourage all new members and survivors who will be having their
first evaluation with Amy Clunn, M.D., to view this 29-minute
video; it addresses PPS in plain English and what to expect from
PPS. After this special viewing we will have a discussion about
the video and PPS. I do need an RSVP by August 27th.
Please call me at 352-489-1731 if you plan to attend. We always
like to have enough handouts and other materials for everyone..
not to mention coffee, assorted breads, cheese and fruit to add to
a good old-fashioned get-acquainted and sharing time together.
We celebrated our 19th anniversary in May! It turned
out to be a very beautiful day and was well attended. We were
honored to have Jann Hartman (polio survivor, 1953) from
Bellingham, Washington speak to us on nutrition. Jann has written
several articles on nutrition. We will share two of her articles
in the near future. We welcomed for the first time, Russ &
Donna Boyle from Hudson, Florida, Joe & Joyce King of Ocala,
Patricia & Richard Griffith from Ocala, Frank Seery’s wife,
Peggy, and Barbara Epstein, Glenn & Marguerite’s daughter.
Darlene & Grover Mudd, members of the Post-Polio Support Group
of Charlotte County, Port Charlotte, Florida. Darlene is the
leader of the PPSGOCC group. Jackie & Bill Bush visit us often
from Dublin, Georgia. Our day turned out to be a very enjoyable
day. All of us missed Jerry. He was in the hospital for eleven
weeks. He did come home on the 18th of May but returned
to ER on the 31st. He had surgery on the 8th
of June. He sends his love to all of you and again
"Thanks!" to all of you for your prayers and well
wishes.
Our program was followed by a beautiful reception prepared by Jann
Hartman, Jann’s mom, Dorothy Knight, Beryl Gogola, Hilla Lane,
Sharon Mixson and Carolyn Raville. Everyone enjoyed socializing
and becoming better acquainted with each other. A special
"Thank You" to Beryl & Joe Gogola for the beautiful
plant and card they presented to Jerry and Me.
The Fourth of July is the birthday of our Nation. The Fourth of
July is not complete without parades and fireworks enjoyed by
everyone. Jerry and I always look forward to the special program
on TV from the capitol. Happy Birthday, America!
August 1st is "Friendship Sunday." Friendship
isn’t about who you have known the longest, but about who came
and never left your side. A friend defines themselves without
words – it is shown through their support, in the way they
listen and the way they understand.
The Month of August is "Immunization
Awareness Month," a good time for you to be a friend and
inform our young parents the importance of giving their children
the polio vaccine. We do not want another epidemic here in the
United States.
The 2009 Hurricane Season officially started
on June 1st and it will be with us through November 30th.
The season used to end in October, but was bumped up to
mid-November and finally the end of the month. You can find
valuable information for getting safely through this hurricane
season by visiting www.hurricanes.gov/prepare
to help you get ready, make your plans, then enjoy your summer.
It was announced a year ago that millions of
TV sets in the United States would stop working in June of 2009
unless they were able to receive digital signals, by congress.
Notices appeared in electronics stores, and the government even
offered a free $40 coupon toward the purchase of a converter box.
I’m sure most people took advantage of the free coupons to make
sure their TV set would work on the target date. We all respond
well to warnings of a specific date, but often fail heed warnings
that you are developing the symptoms of PPS. All of our programs
and newsletters are geared to forewarn you of the symptoms,
prepare you and help you avoid panic… and it’s free!
I would like to recommend Joyce Moyer
Hostettler’s latest novel, "Comfort". It’s just been
released by Boyd’s Mills Press and can be purchased at Barnes
and Noble book store."Comfort" is the sequel to
"Blue" (2006) telling the story of the 1944 polio
epidemic in Hickory, North Carolina and the miracle of Hickory
Emergency Hospital. "Comfort" and "Blue" are
both historical novels, each with Anne Faye Honeycutt as the main
character.
In "Comfort", Ann Faye, home from
the Hickory Hospital after recovering from polio, finds life with
the after-effects of polio to be very difficult and, making
matters worse, her father’s post-war trauma is devastating to
the family. Ann Faye also found that she and her old friends have
changed. Everything seems to be falling apart. Ann Faye tries to
fix things but finally realized the best thing she can do is take
care of her.
She goes to FDR’s Georgia Warm Springs
Foundation for physical therapy and while there discovers
emotional resources she needs to cope with life. Ann Faye finally
found comfort, healing and a little romance.
The author, Joyce Hostetter, researched her
book "Comfort" with the assistance of Warm Springs
experts and alumni. I am a polio survivor and alumnus of FDR’s
Warm Springs during the 1940’s. I was honored to share with
Joyce Hostetter in the history of Warm Springs with my personal
experience. I now have new friend in Joyce Hostetter. Both of
these books are written for ages 10 and up. You will enjoy reading
and giving the two books as gifts.
Remember to RSVP no later than August 27th for our
program at 10:30 AM on Saturday, August 29th.
Your
President,
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 IN
THE JULY-AUGUST ISSUE:
Polio Returns From The Dead
by Julie K. Silver, M.D.
"...In an amazingly short period of time, polio was so
completely dismissed it was as if it never existed. Polio
survivors moved on with their lives. The March of Dimes
changed its mission and went on to fight birth defects, and
politicians and celebrities promoted other causes. Even
medical doctors learned about polio as merely an historical
footnote, if they studies it at all. However,
polio's legacy was far from dead....."
President's Letter for July
and August
(see above)
FOOD: Facts and Fiction
Summary of the May, 2009
program; Speaker, Jann Hartmann
While not a nutritionist
herself, Jann Hartmann is a polio survivor who, years ago, took a
definite interest in our nutritional needs and how to meet
them. Ms. Hartmann has lectured for over 20 years and had a
lot of good information for us.
Surgery: Another Point
of View
by Nancy Baldwin Carter,
Omaha, Nebraska
"Let's say I have a
problem I can see is getting worse. I don't want to lose
function. I want desperately to be put back together again,
maybe even to become 'the way I used to be.' I know that
surgeons want equally as much to help their patients, to bring a
missing quality back to their lives. Here's the important
part: I cannot allow my thought process to stop here, or I
might find myself in deep trouble...."
You Can't Hit Rewind
by Nickie Lancaster, RN -
Polio Heroes of Tennessee Support Group
This is a good, short, concise
read for anyone with a surgery in their future. Some good
tips to help yourself prior to a surgery, too!
You'll Never Wear High Heels
Again
Sharon Daszczynski (My
Experience with Polio and Post-Polio Syndrome)
Carolyn Raville has put the word out
that she is interested in relating the life experiences of willing
polio survivors in our newsletter. Purpose: Writing
about it is a form of therapy. Reading about it and knowing
you are not alone is even better. As it happens, Sharon is
an excellent communicator, but most of us are somewhat intimidated
at writing down our thoughts and feelings for others. And
then there are those pesky language skills. We don't care
about any of that. We would just love to hear from you.
Bacteria and Urinary Infection
by Paul Donohue, M.D.
I squirmed and writhed through all
five paragraphs of this article. The article wasn't that
bad... it was that informative! Dr. Donohue only needed five
paragraphs to get his point across. Now I think I know
everything there is to know about bacteria and urinary
infections. "Nurse! ..My rubber gloves!!"
Care in Considering the Claims of
Dietary Supplements
by Richard L. Bruno, PhD
Dietary supplements... herbal or
vitamins. Think about it: If an herb or vitamin is
having any effect on you at all, then it logically may have a
chance to interact with your prescribed meds. I'm not saying
they WILL... but I am saying they COULD. Now go read the
good doctor's article. It's an eye-opener.
Being on Life Support and
the Quality of Life
by Henry Holland, M.D.
"..This article will only
apply to a few among thousand of polio survivors. If you had
bulbar polio or weakened respiratory muscles along with
restrictive vital capacity of your lung volume secondary to
scoliosis, then this article might be of interest to you...."
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