Levin, Myrt - Polk County

Describe what you remember about the fear surrounding polio epidemics:

Summer struck terror in families in the 40's when I was growing up. Terror struck our family in August of 1949 when my uncle, Dr. Byron Merkel, suggested that he thought I could possibly have polio. I had a spinal tap that confirmed the diagnosis, and checked in to Blank Hospital in Des Moines where I spent the next six weeks.

I was 10 years old, but told myself I was not going to cry and spend my energy instead on getting well. My mother rarely left my side, and my uncle stayed with me several nights. I was in an iron lung for a week, and ran a fever during that time of 107--yes, you read that right! My bones are scarred from that fever as I found out years later when I broke a leg skiing.

I'm now 68 years old and in perfect health. My involvement has improved over the years until now I am almost symptom free.

Somewhere in the archives of WOI TV there may be a kinnescope of my story.