Berentson, Betty Larsen - Boone County

Our son, Scott Berentson, was a polio victim in the summer of 1952 in Boone, Boone Co. He was just 2 1/2 years old. We were staying with my family in Boone while my husband was in a military hospital for back surgery. Polio hit our family hard. Scott was left with one leg smaller than the other and weakened muscles, including facial, on his left side. He has always had pain in that leg. My sister's husband, Peter Froehlich age 24, came down with polio (bulbar type) at the very same time as our son. As with our son, the doctor thought he had summer influenza - they were both terribly ill and had high fevers. However, Peter woke up unable to breathe and was rushed to Des Moines, Iowa where the nearest iron lungs were available. Hospitalized on a Thursday, he died the following Saturday, leaving my sister with three small boys.

My son was not hospitalized (since the doctor originally thought he had summer flu & tonsilitis). After the death of Peter, however, the doctor called me to say he felt Scott was also a victim of polio, although a milder form. There were several cases in and around our immediate neighborhood.