Thank You, Dr. Salk
[Written August, 1995 as a guest editorial in the Spokesman-Review newspaper, Spokane, WA, USA.]
Dr. Jonas Salk died on June 23. All major TV networks mentioned the fact, but spent far more time on OJ. Local newspapers gave some space to the topic. But for the most part we as a nation have forgotten. We have forgotten the great debt we owe to Drs. Salk and Sabin for all the Polio cases they continue to prevent.. There are, though, 1.6 million of us in North America who remember. We for whom the Polio vaccine was too late know the life impact of this virus. Our very psyches, life directions, goals, accomplishments, losses, gains, joys and sorrows are tied to our history of Polio - and now to Polio's late effects manifesting in Post-Polio Syndrome, the second whammy. In the beginning, Dr. Salk had no idea he was preventing two horrid diseases at once.
Dr. Salk's accomplishment deserves more public gratitude. His staggering achievement prevented millions of deaths and millions of cases of chronic Polio and PPS. Let us not forget; let us express our thanks.
Let us not forget, either, that for millions of people in the world, Polio is still a threat. Recently there was an out-break in Zaire. Polio is endemic in the province of Irian Jaya in Indonesia. For 18 years, until Aug. 1991 when Post-Polio Syndrome drove me back to the States, I was a missionary in the remote interior of Irian Jaya. For the tribe I worked with, there was no Polio vaccine until six or seven years ago.
During one bad siege of Polio, 3-yr.-old Meeyus was hit hard. I watched his paralyzed limbs partially recover, toes and fingers first as mine had after I contracted Polio at the age of five. Watching Meeyus mirror so many of my memories was uncanny. He, however, will have no hospital memories because there was no hospital available for him.
My heart was broken when Meeyus's parents brought him to me and asked, "Can't you do for him what the doctors did for you when you got Polio?" I had to tell them no, there were no doctors or therapists there who could give Meeyus the help I had received.
I described to Meeyus's parents the physical therapy I had been given, and impressed upon them that they must do what they could. Meeyus progressed from scooting along the muddy paths on his bottom to crawling on all fours, but there his progress stopped. At least he is somewhat more up out of the mud crawling rather than scooting.
Children such as Meeyus in Asia, Africa and other "under-developed" areas face a Polio and Post-Polio future that is far, far worse than was the history or is the future of we Americans who had Polio and now have Post-Polio Syndrome. Few third-world Polio children have any hope of obtaining adaptive equipment, much less of getting treatment.
Polio vaccine will not become available to the Meeyuses in the world until their own countries can produce it - which is always cheaper than importing it - and make enough to go around. We Americans who have the money and technology to help poorer countries produce the vaccine MUST do so.
Thank you, Dr. Salk, for giving us such a gift to give to the world.
