Gabriel, Victoria - Polk County

Describe what you remember about the fear surrounding polio epidemics:

I remember the “no swimming.” But it was October, 1952 when my sister and I were stricken so we must have contacted it differently. We had many cousins we played with and none of them got sick.

Tell us what you remember of the impact of polio:

It was September, 1952. My mom just had a new baby boy and my sister just turned two. My fourth birthday was coming up in November and all seemed great in the Malsam household. In October, 1952, both myself and my sister were diagnosed with polio. I remember being in a room that was in the basement at Mercy Hospital. It was a room which needed to be quarantined from our loved ones. They could only look at us through windows. To this day I wonder how my mom and dad were able to handle this. I recently found out from my aunt that my mom was so very distraught that the doctor told her to start smoking because that would help calm her down. I also remember the nuns force feeding me hot oatmeal so to this day I can't eat hot cereal.

I spent my fourth birthday in the hospital. My sister recovered, but my right leg was left with the polio side effects. Thank God my parents were determined that I wouldn't need to use a brace or crutches the rest of my life. They sought out a progressive doctor who promised them I would walk unaided. This was Dr. Blair; I'll never forget him. From the time I was five until 12 I had some type of surgery every summer. I remember those hot casts and the smell of gangrene when one of the surgery sights got infected. As an adult I also have had many and suffer from post-polio syndrome.

My “good” left leg isn't so good anymore. I had a hip replacement in 1988 and again two years ago. My left foot and leg get very tired from all the overuse, so I need to really pace myself. Like most polio survivors, I consider myself a personality “A.” I have always tried my best when I didn't need to do physical activity. My father died in an accident when I was 17. My mother had a stroke 10 years ago and doesn't remember much. She is in a nursing home and we don't talk about that time, trying not to upset her. To this day, I still don't know how they managed to get through all of this. With faith in the lord and support from a loving family, they did make it.

Currently Living in Arizona: Her story took place in Polk County, IA