Polio is a viral infection that affects the brain, spine, and nervous system, causing paralysis. Vaccinations have reduced the number of cases. Famous polio survivors include FDR, Neil Young, Alan Alda, Mia Farrow, and golfer Jack Nicklaus. FDR is known for his New Deal programs during the Great Depression.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is an acute viral infection that can take a variety of forms and affects different areas of the brain, spine, and nervous system. The most common type of this disease is spinal polio, which can cause paralysis of the trunk and extremities. There is no cure for polio, but vaccinations developed in the 1950s and 1960s helped reduce the number of people who contract it. Perhaps one of the best-known polio survivors was Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR), the 32nd president of the United States, who was permanently crippled by the disease. Other famous polio survivors include Neil Young, Alan Alda and Mia Farrow.
FDR served as president during the Great Depression and was the only US president to serve more than two terms. He is probably best known for developing the New Deal, a vast network of government programs developed to stimulate the US economy and bring the country out of the depression. Many of these programs are still in place today. FDR contracted polio in 1921 and left him paralyzed from the waist down. Over the years, he has tried a variety of treatments and therapies in an effort to strengthen his legs, but he has never regained the use of them.
Neil Young is a Canadian musician and former member of the rock band Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. He has developed a successful solo career since he left the band and is best known as a songwriter and guitarist. As a child, Young not only contracted polio, but also developed epilepsy and diabetes. Another famous Canadian polio survivor is actor Donald Sutherland. Like Neil Young, Sutherland suffered from a variety of childhood health problems, including rheumatic fever and hepatitis. The actor gained notoriety with his first role in the 1967 film The Dirty Dozen and has since appeared in more than 130 films.
Still other polio survivors have gone on to successful careers in television and film. Emmy Award-winning American actor Alan Alda, best known for his role as Hawkeye Pierce in the television series MASH, contracted the disease when he was seven years old. He endured treatments which, although painful, helped him regain great mobility. Actress Mia Farrow is also a polio survivor and has since helped raise funds and awareness of the disease through a variety of charities.
The world of professional sports may be an unexpected place to find polio survivors, but golfer Jack Nicklaus had a mild case of the disease as a child. He was able to avoid severe effects of polio and went on to become one of the most successful golfers in history.
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