{"id":137687,"date":"2024-12-16T13:47:12","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T06:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137687"},"modified":"2024-12-16T13:47:12","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T06:47:12","slug":"polio-ravaged-my-family-forget-its-horror-at-your-peril","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137687","title":{"rendered":"Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril."},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p>One day when my mom was eleven years old, she found a photo in the attic of two small children who bore a resemblance to her and her brother. She brought the photo downstairs to her mother and asked who they were.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose are your two brothers,\u201d she said. \u201cThey died of polio.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On October 21, 1945, two and a half years before my mom was born, her brother\u2014my uncle, Ronald Winard\u2014died of polio at the age of three. Four days later, his older brother, Howard, died at the age of seven.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre they in heaven?\u201d my mother remembers asking. She never forgot the answer that came back: \u201cNo, they are in the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg\" width=\"493\" height=\"611.1710164835165\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/ae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1805,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:493,&quot;bytes&quot;:4063024,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/i\/153183224?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" alt=\"Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.\" title=\"Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fae3f2916-61c6-4c00-8a19-8c1cfc26bac8_4758x5899.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Ronald Winard in 1942.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nominated to be Donald Trump\u2019s secretary of Health and Human Services, his long history of anti-vaccine activism is a significant worry of his critics. Kennedy is perhaps best known for <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/what-rfk-jr-gets-rightand-what-he\" rel=\"\">promoting the debunked theory<\/a><span> that the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine causes autism. But <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.factcheck.org\/2023\/11\/scicheck-rfk-jr-incorrectly-denies-past-remarks-on-vaccine-safety-and-effectiveness\/\" rel=\"\">he has also criticized<\/a><span> the polio vaccine, which all 50 states require, even though it essentially eradicated the disease in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The polio vaccine, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/lexfridman.com\/robert-f-kennedy-jr-transcript\/\" rel=\"\">Kennedy said<\/a><span> in an interview last year, has \u201ckilled many, many, many more people than polio ever did.\u201d His view is that the vaccine was effective against polio, but the side effects caused by the vaccine\u2014specifically, a virus that contaminated some batches from 1955 to 1963, known as SV40\u2014caused an explosion in soft-tissue cancer, a theory that has not been proven by science. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/polio\/vaccines\/index.html#:~:text=The%20vaccine%20is%20safe%20and,provide%20at%20least%2099%25%20protection\" rel=\"\">National and global health agencies<\/a><span> have found the polio vaccine to be safe and effective.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>But that hasn\u2019t stopped the spread of vaccine skepticism. Last week, <\/span><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/13\/health\/aaron-siri-rfk-jr-vaccines.html\" rel=\"\">The New York Times <\/a><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/13\/health\/aaron-siri-rfk-jr-vaccines.html\" rel=\"\">published an article<\/a><span> about how a close Kennedy associate, Aaron Siri\u2014who Kennedy is interested in bringing into HHS as general counsel\u2014has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>For my family, the prospect of halting polio immunization\u2014or even convincing the public that the lifesaving vaccine is unsafe\u2014is horrifying.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg\" width=\"1434\" height=\"1111\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/ef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1111,&quot;width&quot;:1434,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:340527,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/i\/153183224?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" alt=\"Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.\" title=\"Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fef8c1a26-954c-4787-873f-ade9d908ae62_1434x1111.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">The author\u2019s grandmother poses with Ronald and Howard Winard in 1942.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Unlike the Covid-19 virus, polio attacks children\u2014especially small children. Until Jonas Salk invented the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1953\/11\/13\/archives\/antipolio-vaccine-guaranteed-by-salk.html?sq=Anti-polio+vaccine+guaranteed+by+salk&amp;scp=1&amp;st=p\" rel=\"\">first polio vaccine<\/a><span> in 1953, for much of the first half of the twentieth century, there were periodic polio epidemics, with an especially alarming period in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The year my uncles died, there were over 13,000 cases of polio in the U.S. and over 1,000 deaths.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Marcia Rosenthal, my mom\u2019s cousin, was eleven in 1945. She lived in Newark, New Jersey, a few blocks away from my grandparents and their sons. Summer seemed to be the peak period for the virus, so every summer in her childhood, she told me, her parents forbade her from mingling in big crowds, going to the movies, or going to the public pool in her neighborhood. She had a friend who wasn\u2019t even allowed to leave the house at all in the summer. Parents spent their days in fear of their children getting polio.<\/p>\n<p>That nightmare became reality for my grandparents one Sunday in October of that year. Ronald and Howard went to their cousin Marcia\u2019s house in Newark, and then went to play in the park. Marcia, who is now 90 years old, told me it felt like there was relief in the air because the \u201csummer scare\u201d had passed. But two days later, the boys took sick with symptoms of polio: muscle weakness, nausea and vomiting, and stiffness in their spines and necks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg\" width=\"520\" height=\"651.0714285714286\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1823,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:520,&quot;bytes&quot;:1838598,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/i\/153183224?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" alt=\"Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.\" title=\"Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F33d4f97a-21a5-404b-a9fe-20429f5328a2_4498x5632.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">The author\u2019s grandfather and Howard Winard in 1942.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Marcia\u2019s mother ripped apart the house, throwing out drapes and chairs and anything the boys may have touched. In all likelihood, they had been exposed to polio not at the park, but at Ronald\u2019s nursery school. We know this because another cousin enrolled there also contracted polio and had to be put in an iron lung to breathe. The cousin survived, though he has had ongoing physical effects, including facial nerve paralysis and muscle weakness.<\/p>\n<p>My uncles died within a week, but not before suffering. Details of exactly what the boys endured at Newark Beth Israel Hospital died with my grandparents. Polio kills children when their nerves are destroyed, when their muscles shut down, when they can no longer swallow, and then can no longer breathe.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a class=\"image-link image2\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png\" width=\"1320\" height=\"30\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:30,&quot;width&quot;:1320,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1358,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/i\/153183224?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 1456w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>My grandparents never spoke about their sons, even after my mom learned what had happened. But for my mom, the revelation was illuminating. She had spent her childhood aware of a darkness in her home that she couldn\u2019t understand\u2014with a mother who, when she wasn\u2019t anxious, was dipping into deep depressions. Now my own mother understood why.<\/p>\n<p>My grandmother had been pregnant with her third child when her sons died. When she delivered my uncle just a month later, she was so traumatized that she was unable to hold or care for her new baby.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg\" width=\"542\" height=\"673.4052197802198\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/c17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1809,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:542,&quot;bytes&quot;:3484184,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/i\/153183224?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" alt=\"Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.\" title=\"Polio Ravaged My Family. Forget Its Horror at Your Peril.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc17ead2f-4314-4a00-a689-3fbfbe30d0bd_4718x5863.jpeg 1456w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"image-caption\">Howard Winard in 1942.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>Meanwhile, the polio epidemics continued. In 1952, when my mom was four, there were some 58,000 cases of the disease and over 3,000 deaths. That was <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/this-day-in-history\/salk-announces-polio-vaccine\" rel=\"\">the peak year for polio<\/a><span> in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Marcia told me that the autumn my uncles died, she decided, at age 11, that she wasn\u2019t going to have any children. She didn\u2019t think she could live through every single summer racked with the worry she saw in her parents\u2014and the despair that came for her cousins\u2019 family.<\/p>\n<p>When she got married in 1954, she told me she was too frightened to consider getting pregnant. But by the following year, Salk\u2019s vaccine was widely available to the public. Mothers across the country raced to have their children get the jab. Marcia said the vaccine felt like a miracle.<\/p>\n<p><span>While it was too late for my uncles and for thousands of other children, Marcia\u2019s three daughters grew up in an America where they didn\u2019t have to fear polio. So did I. Thanks to the vaccine, there has not been a single indigenously acquired case of polio in the United States <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/polio\/hcp\/clinical-overview\/index.html\" rel=\"\">since 1979<\/a><span>. Polio is now endemic in only two countries, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unicef.org\/afghanistan\/polio-eradication\" rel=\"\">Afghanistan and Pakistan<\/a><span>, where vaccine penetration is difficult.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>When my grandfather died in 1998, my mom found among his belongings paperwork for the upkeep of Ronald and Howard\u2019s graves at a Newark cemetery. She discovered that for fifty years, my grandfather had visited their graves every single week. He had never told anyone. In my family there were some things that were just too painful to discuss.<\/p>\n<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a class=\"image-link image2\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 1456w\" sizes=\"100vw\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png\" width=\"1320\" height=\"30\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:30,&quot;width&quot;:1320,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:null,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:null,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:null,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 424w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 848w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 1272w, https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F56122c48-379b-4280-9ff3-339e2172479e_1320x30.png 1456w\" sizes=\"auto, 100vw\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thefp.com\/p\/polio-ravaged-my-family-rfk-jr-vaccines\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One day when my mom was eleven years old, she found a photo in the attic of two small children who bore a resemblance to her and her brother. She &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=137687\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-137687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=137687"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/137687\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=137687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=137687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=137687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}